LONGHORSLEY

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Location

City

Longhorsley (Parish)

Address

Northumberland (District)

County

Northumberland

Region

North East

Country

England, United Kingdom

Lat/Long/Alt

55.248989 / -1.781327 / 134.8 view

Location details

Approximate find spot (4-figure grid reference)

Find spot comment

Location displays approximate coordinates centred on four figure grid reference.

Information

1626

Permalink

https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/1626

Hoard name

LONGHORSLEY

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

1 Jan 2002

(to)

21 Mar 2002

Total number of coins

Summary

61 sestertii and 9 dupondii/asses to Marcus Aurelius found with a metal detector. All the coins are in poor condition because of circulation wear and corrosion (37% are completely illegible). The latest identifiable coin is a solitary example of the lifetime issues of Faustina II of AD c.157-75, traditionally classified under Marcus Aurelius. Longhorsley is a typical sestertius hoard and contains no new types: more significant is its geographical location and metalworking context. Lying to the north of Hadrian's Wall, the only archaeological feature so far known in the vicinity is the single-rampart circular enclosure of Smallburn. It would thus appear that a native context is most likely for these coins. The coins are all extremely worn and were found alongside a bronze sprue - excess metal which had formed in the mouth of a casting vessel. It would thus appear likely that this assemblage represents the final use of large copper-alloy coins once they had been driven from circulation: either in the face of silver debasement in the later third century; or because they had effectively crossed over into the barbaricum where coins without intrinsic value were impractical. The hoard ends with coins of the Antonine emperors. That this is due to the paucity of fresh issues of the sestertius and its fractions to reach Britain in the third century is one probability. However, the first and second century sestertii were made of better grades of the zinc-bronze orichalcum and would have been especially attractive for use in decorative metalwork and may have been deliberately selected had there been any choice in the matter.

Details
Coins Summary
Coins
Rating
Archaeological context
Containers
Objects
References
Reports
Images
Credit

Discovery method

Metal detector
Land Use

Cultivated Land
Closing reign (earliest)

Marcus Aurelius
Terminal year (earliest)

161
Closing reign (latest)

Marcus Aurelius
Terminal year (latest)

175
Opening year (earliest)

69
Opening year (latest)

79
Coin-level data

Not available

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Good
Context rating

Poor
Findspot rating

Poor

Recovery method

Metal detecting use
Site class

Rural

Objects belonging to this hoard

Casting sprue
The sprue is roughly conical and terminates in the stumps of three casting channels. The bronze sprue seems to be the excess metal which had formed in the mouth of a casting vessel; itweighs 30.59 g, and is roughly conical in shape, measuring 2.5 X 2.4 cm at the base; at the top it terminates in the shape of three casting channels. Chemical analysis revealed over 4% of zinc (and as high as 17% in one spot), a level far too high for a natural trace element: the metal most probably came from Roman zinc-brass (orichalcum) coinage.

Permalink in other online databases

Reference

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)

Ref

https://finds.org.uk/database/hoards/record/id/1557

Comment

Ghey, E (2015) IARCH-6D9070

References

Reference

2003 - Coin Hoards 2003

Ref

Reference

Abdy, R. - 2003 - Worn sestertii in Roman Britain and the Longhorsley hoard

Ref

137-146

Reference

2004 - Treasure Annual Report 2002

Ref

191

Record created by J. Mairat. IARCH dataset, AHRC funded University of Leicester and British Museum project. Imported and edited by M. Spoerri (June 2019 / Nov. 2024). Updated by C. Gazdac (Aug. 2025).

Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire

LONGHORSLEY

Data not added to the map

Objects belonging to this hoard

Permalink in other online databases

References

Coin Hoardsof the Roman Empire

LONGHORSLEY

Data not added to the map

Objects belonging to this hoard

Permalink in other online databases

References

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Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire