Hopes hoard of medieval coins will go on display

Chris Langston chose to waive his finders fee and hopes the coins will go on display in Shropshire

A medieval coin hoard discovered in Shropshire has been declared treasure.

The 43 silver coins date from the late 12th to early 13th Centuries, during the reigns of Richard the Lionheart, King John and Henry III, and are known as Short Cross Pennies.

The finds have been has been called the Hindford Hoard after the area they were discovered in.

They were unearthed by 52-year old metal detectorist Chris Langston in a field near Oswestry, between 2017 and 2019. Mr Langston waived his finder's fee in the hope they go on display in Shropshire, and he said he hoped they would introduce people to the history of the area.

The first three coins were found when he was detecting with two friends from the USA.

"They were all in the same area, dotted around the field," he said.

"I went back on my own and found a couple more. Then the field got ploughed and before you know it I found 20 of these virtually identical coins."

Eventually, there were 43 of them.

Most of the coins were minted in London and Canterbury, but a few came from Bury St Edmunds, Dublin, and Roxburgh in Scotland, which experts said showed how widely money travelled across Britain and Ireland at that time.

The quantity and good condition of the coins suggests they were deposited in the ground to keep them safe. The owner may have gone off hunting or into battle.

It is estimated they were put in the ground around the year 1232.

Each coin was a worth a penny, the equivalent of a day's wage for a farm worker at the time.

The coins were minted at a number of locations around England and Scotland

Describing the find, Mr Langston said: "It was a bit of a shock, a slow-release thing."

"They're going to teach many more people about the hobby and the history of the local area."