Bishop's medieval coin brooch found in field

"No English bishop would be allowed or dream of putting his head on a coin" during the reign of Edward I, according to a coin expert

A silver coin minted by a French bishop in the 13th Century and transformed into a gilded brooch has turned up in a field in north Norfolk.

The discovery was made by a metal detectorist in a rural area south of Cromer and it depicts Enguerrand of Crequi, Bishop of Cambrai from 1273 to 1293.

Coin expert Adrian Marsden said turning French coins into brooches was fashionable during this period because "no native coins were as large".

This one is unusual because it features the bishop's bearded face, while the now missing pin was placed on its back, he added.

The silver coin is about 23 mm (0.9in) in diameter and shows little sign of wear, suggesting it was turned into a brooch within a few years of being minted

From the Norman Conquest until the reign of Edward III, England's currency was made up of silver pennies.

So when the French king Louis IX, later Saint Louis, minted a large silver coin called a gros tournois, it became fashionable for prosperous people to turn them into brooches.

"Most of the coin brooches we have turning up are made from the gros tournois, as they're invariably the commonest big silver coin," said Dr Marsden, from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service.

"And if you're having one of these silver coins made into a brooch, it's a substantial investment as they're worth two or three days' wages."

This find features a bearded Enguerrand, also known as Ingeramus de Crequy, wearing a bishop's mitre or hat.

Dr Marsden said this would not have happened in England.

"You do get bishops in charge of mints, but the coins would have had the king's head," he said.

"Generally, high-ranking people in France have more independence than in England - no English bishop would be allowed or dream of putting his head on a coin."

Little is written about Enguerrand, but whoever turned the coin into a brooch wanted to show his face, instead of the cross on its back to signal their piety.

A coroner will determine whether it is treasure and Norwich Castle Museum is interested in acquiring it.