There cannot now be any reason to doubt that these coins belong to Henry Plantagenet, as it was discovered by Sir Henry Ellis," that whereas the names of the moneyers on coins of this type struck at Wilton are ASCHETIL, LANTIER, and WILLEM. There is a record [called the Chancellor's Roll] in the British Museum of the eleventh year of Henry II., in which the two former, whose names are both very uncommon, and occur as of this town on no other type, are mentioned as moneyers at Wilton." The hoard found at Tealby numbered five thousand seven hundred specimens, all of one type, and had been examined by the late Dr. Taylor Combe; particulars of which were communicated by him in a paper read before the fellows of the Society of Antiquaries on the 24th of February, 1814 who, when referring to the whole find, stated: "The coins were as fresh as when they were first issued from the mint, yet their execution was so bad that on many of them scarcely two letters could be discerned. The workmanship of these coins can, indeed, confer no credit on the state of the arts in the time of Henry II.; yet it is deserving of attention, that the weights of them, though apparently regulated by a pair of shears, were adjusted with extraordinary accuracy." The following is the analysis of Dr. Taylor Combe's examination :— "50 pieces were weighed separately and found to be 22 grains each. 100 were weighed against 100, the difference was 6 grains. 100 were weighed against 100, the difference was 14 grains. 200 were weighed against 200, the difference was II grains. 300 were weighed against 300, the difference was 13 grains. 400 were weighed against 400, the difference was 22 grains. *Hawkin's Silver Coins of England. 500 were weighed against 500, the difference was 19 grains. 600 were weighed against 600, the difference was 6 grains. 700 were weighed against 700, there was no difference, 1⁄2 a grain turned the scale. 800 were weighed against 800, the difference was 14 grains. 900 were weighed against 900, the difference was 2 grains. 1000 were weighed against 1000, the difference was 14 grains. 100 weighed 4 oz. 11 dwt. 17 grains. 100 weighed 4 oz. 11 dwt. 100 weighed 4 oz. 11 dwt. 14 grains. 100 weighed 4 oz. II dwt. 8 grains. 5127 weighed 19 lb. 6 oz. 5 dwt. They should have weighed 19 lb. 6 oz. 19 dwt. 18 grains. The difference is 14 dwt. 18 gr., which, divided amongst the whole number, makes each coin to have weighed nearly within of a grain of its proper weight." The hoard found at Ampthill numbered one hundred and forty-two specimens, all of one type, and was examined by the late Rev. Canon Pownall, particulars of which were communicated by him in a paper read before the members of the Numismatic Society of London on the 15th of May, 1862, and in reference to the irregular shape of the whole find stated: "There are not more than twelve of the one hundred and forty-two coins before me which can with justice be described as round; out of sixty-seven more, it might be said they are certainly not round; thirtysix of the remainder approach more nearly still to a rude square, or five and six-sided figure; and four are positively quadrangular." And in reference to the analysis the same gentleman remarks: "I found the whole number, being one hundred and forty-two coins, weighed 6 oz. 10 dwts. 81⁄2 grains; and that, taken in lots of twenty-five at a time, the sum was thus made up: First lot weighed 23 dwts. 0% grain. Third lot weighed 22 dwts. 20 grains. Sixth lot (seventeen coins) 15 dwts. 151⁄2 grains. The mean weight of each coin will therefore be a fraction over 22 grains, and the loss in weight on each something less than half a grain, a fact which the evidence of the eye will almost sustain." The Tealby coins were handed over to the crown as treasure trove, and, after an examination, selections were made for the British Museum and a few favoured individuals, and the remaining five thousand one hundred and twenty-seven specimens melted at the Tower of London. The law of treasure trove has never been appreciated by the public, who have always considered unclaimed property should belong to the finder, as against all the world, save the true owner. Such, however, is not the case, the ownership of hidden treasure being vested in the crown. Had the Tealby find passed into private hands, probably over five thousand coins, perfect as when they left the mint, might have been preserved for our inspection. The early coinage was superseded A.D. 1180 by an improved manufacture of silver pennies, under the superintendence of Phillipe d'Amerie, of Tours, and a considerable number of them were discovered at Eccles, in the county of Lancaster, with other coins in 1864, and described by the late Mr. John Harland, F.S.A., in a paper read before the members of the Manchester Numismatic Society on the 11th of August in the same year, and subsequently published in the Society's proceedings. It may prove interesting to know the value of the coins of the Norman period; that is, what they would purchase when they were issued. The price of wheat, of course, varied with the seasons, there being no importing of corn in those days. The country was entirely dependent upon its own resources, and, owing to the difficult communication between the different parts of the kingdom, corn varied greatly in price. Thus, in A.D. 1043 wheat was sold at five shillings the quarter, whilst in A.D. 1125, owing to a scarcity, wheat was sold at twenty shillings the quarter. About A.D. 1145 forty sheep were valued at twenty shillings; an ox, three shillings; and four hens sold for twopence; a ram being the value of eightpence. If we consider an ox to-day worth £25, and that it was worth three shillings in A.D. 1145, we must necessarily conclude that the purchasing power of a silver penny at that time was equivalent in value to nearly fourteen shillings of our current money. The following is a list of the moneyers' names and places of mintage of the early coinage of Henry Plantagenet :— |