A HOARD of Medieval silver coins discovered by a metal detectorist have been declared treasure by a coroner.

Cockermouth Coroners’ Court heard Richard Hunter found four complete silver hammered pennies and two half cut pennies in the Eden Valley area in January 2022.

A curator’s report stated the six early Medieval silver hammered coins dated back to the reign of King Ethelred II of England between 978 to 1016AD.

Five different known mints were represented and descriptions, measurements and weights of each coin were also documented in the report.

For an artifact to be considered treasure, it must be at least 300 years old and have a precious metal content of at least 10 per cent total.

The curator’s report stated: “The find was made in an area of known Scandinavian settlement that connected York to the Irish Sea.

“It is possible that the hoard represented the loss or burial for safe keeping of a portion of the direct proceeds of Viking activity in England.

“It may also reflect the volume of coinage that was produced and which entered circulation at this time.”

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal described how the coins were produced in large quantity during the late 10th Century when Viking attacks were escalating.

Both Penrith Museum and Tullie House in Carlisle have expressed an interest in acquiring the coins, the court heard.

Also classified as treasure in three other inquests heard at Cockermouth Coroners Court were:

  • A flattened gold ball pin head weighing 4.3 grams from the early post Medieval period discovered on April 10 this year in Burton-in-Kendal.
  • An incomplete Medieval silver annular brooch and pin weighing 0.61 grams discovered in June 2023 in the Parish of Hoff.
  • A post Medieval incomplete silver cufflink weighing 1.68 grams discovered in January in Brampton

Miss Gomersal formally classified all of the artifacts as treasure and congratulated the metal detectorists for their discoveries.