The Cuerdale Hoard and Related Viking-age Silver and Gold from Britain and Ireland in the British Museum (British Museum Research Publications)

With contributions by Barry Ager, Marion Archibald, Hero Granger-Taylor, Susan Kruse, John Sheehan, Egon Wamers, Leslie Webster, Martin Welch and Gareth Williams. Original drawings by Karen Hughes. Second printing with minor amendments. The catalogue focuses on the entire non-numismatic contents of the Cuerdale hoard (discovered in 1840), together with all the other hoards and single-finds of gold and silver artefacts (ornaments and ingots) of Viking character in the British Museum, found in Britain and Ireland, up to the end of the year 2000, with each piece individually catalogued and illustrated. There is also a full chapter discussing the coins from Cuerdale, together with summary descriptions. Written by the leading authority on the subject, James Graham-Campbell is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archaeology, University College London and a Fellow of the British Academy. This catalogue complements both that by D. M. Wilson on the 'Anglo-Saxon Ornamental Metalwork, 700-1100', in the British Museum (London, 1964) and that by James Graham-Campbell on 'The Viking-Age Gold and Silver of Scotland (AD 850-1100)' (Edinburgh, 1995). The Author and Contributors vi Illustration Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations used in the Catalogue and Some Explanatory Notes viii Preface / Leslie Webster ix Foreword and Acknowledgements / James Graham-Campbell xi Chapter 1: The Collection of Viking-Age Gold and Silver from Britain and Ireland in the British Museum / James Graham-Campbell 1 The scope of the catalogue 1 The history of the collection 2 An evaluation 5 Exclusions 15 Chapter 2: The Discovery and Dispersal of the Cuerdale Hoard / James Graham-Campbell 21 The sources 21 The discovery (15 May 1840) 21 The Treasure Trove claim 24 The ‘Inquisition’ (15 August 1840) 25 ‘Treasure Trove at Cuerdale’ 26 Distribution 28 Conclusions 33 Chapter 3: The Cuerdale Coins / Gareth Williams, with a contribution by Marion Archibald 39 Reconstructing the coin contents of the Cuerdale hoard 39 The coin components 42 Testing / Marion Archibald 51 Dating 64 The coins in context 67 Conclusion 71 Chapter 4: Classification and Discussion of the Objects from the Cuerdale Hoard: Part 1: Ingots / Susan Kruse and James Graham-Campbell, with a contribution by Hero Granger-Taylor 73 Scope 73 Definitions and classifications 73 Textile impressions on five silver ingots / Hero Granger-Taylor 82 Cross-marked ingots in Britain and Ireland 83 Other silver ingots: Goldsborough, Co. Cork, Ballaquayle and Tiree hoards 83 Silver ingot hoards 84 Gold ingot from Co. Cork 84 Casting waste, sheet scrap, etc. 84 Chapter 5: Classification and Discussion of the Objects: Part 2: Rings / James Graham-Campbell, with contributions by John Sheehan 87 Introduction 87 'Bullion-rings' / John Sheehan 87 Spiral-rings 88 Neck-rings 89 Arm-rings, with a contribution on 'Hiberno-Scandinavian broad-band arm-rings' / John Sheehan 91 Finger-rings 104 Chapter 6: Classification and Discussion of the Objects: Part 3: Brooches and Miscellaneous / James Graham-Campbell, with a contribution by Barry Ager 111 Brooches, pins and buckle(s) 111 Brooches: Group 1 (Irish tradition) 112 Brooches: Group 2 (Scandinavian/Baltic tradition) 119 Brooches: Group 3 (Anglo-Saxon tradition) 119 Brooches: Group 4 (Frankish tradition) 120 Pins 120 Buckle(s) 121 Beads, rings, chains, wires and filigree fragments 121 Pendants 125 The Halton Moor gold discs / Barry Ager 127 Miscellaneous (non-Scandinavian) artefacts 128 Hoard containers 129 Chapter 7: The Halton Moor Cup and the Carolingian Metalwork in the Cuerdale Hoard / Egon Wamers 133 The Halton Moor Cup 133 Carolingian filigree fragments from the Cuerdale hoard 135 Carolingian belt-fittings from the Cuerdale hoard 137 Chapter 8: Manufacture and Decoration / James Graham-Campbell 141 Casting 141 Hammering (forging/smithing) 141 Stamping 141 Brambling 146 Incised decoration 149 Wire-drawing 150 Chapter 9: Contents and Contexts: A Discussion / James Graham-Campbell 151 Reasons for deposition 151 Hoards 151 Single-finds 152 The wider context 153 Envoi 158 Handlists / James Graham-Campbell 159 1. Viking-age and twelfth-century coin hoards found in Britain and Ireland containing nonnumismatic gold and silver 159 2. Viking-age gold rings found in Britain and Ireland 159 3. Gold and silver Thor’s hammer pendants from England 160 Catalogue / James Graham-Campbell 161 Introduction and notes to the catalogue entries 161 Part I: Viking-age Hoards: Mixed and Coinless (1–16) 165 1. Cuerdale, near Preston, Lancs 180 2. Flusco Pike 1, near Penrith, Cumbria 230 3. Goldsborough, near Knaresborough, North Yorks 234 The coins from Goldsborough, by Gareth Williams 236 4. Halton Moor, near Lancaster, Lancs 238 5. Lark Hill, near Worcester, Worcs 241 6. Shotton Hall, near Sunderland, Co. Durham 242 7. Soberton, Hants 243 8. Near Athlone, Co. Westmeath(?) 244 9. Co. Cork 245 10. Scattery Island (Inis Cáthaig), Co. Clare 246 11. Unprovenanced, Ireland 247 12. Ballacamaish, Kirk Andreas 248 13. Ballaquayle (Douglas), Onchan 250 14. Inch Kenneth, Argyll 254 15. Tiree, Argyll 255 16. Unprovenanced, Scotland 256 Part II: Single-finds of Viking-age Gold and Silver (17–41) 257 Appendices / James Graham-Campbell, with contributions by Susan Kruse, Martin Welch† and Gareth Williams 267 Appendix 1. A Thor’s Hammer Pendant, ‘reputedly’ from near Carlisle 267 Appendix 2. The Cuerdale Hoard: Fakes and False Provenances 269 1. Fake Cuerdale ‘mark’ ingot / Susan Kruse 269 2. ‘Cuerdale’ silver cylindrical ingot 270 3. Two ‘Cuerdale’ silver penannular arm-rings 270 4. Hiberno-Scandinavian broad-band silver penannular arm-ring from ‘near Oxford’ 270 5. Viking-age silver penannular finger-ring from Forkhill, Co. Armagh 271 6. Unprovenanced Merovingian silver penannular arm-ring, with a discussion by Martin Welch 272 7. Four nineteenth-century Indian silver penannular rings 272 Appendix 3 The Cuerdale Hoard: The Duchy of Lancaster’s Distribution-Lists (B8) 275 1. ‘Distribution of ...Coins up to the 3rd September 1841’ 275 2. ‘Distribution of the Coins continued from 3rd September 1841 to 6 July 1846’ 278 3. Additional recipients 280 4. The recipients: a note 280 Appendix 4 Summary List of Coins in the Cuerdale Hoard now in the British Museum / Gareth Williams 292 Appendix 5 List of Coins in the Goldsborough Hoard / Gareth Williams 285 Bibliography 287 Plates 299 Index 381 The catalogue focuses on the entire non-numismatic contents of the Cuerdale hoard (discovered in 1840), together with all the other hoards and single-finds of gold and silver artefacts (ornaments and ingots) of Viking character in the British Museum, found in Britain and Ireland, up to the end of the year 2000, with each piece individually catalogued and illustrated. There is also a full chapter discussing the coins from Cuerdale, together with summary descriptions. Written by the leading authority on the subject, James Graham-Campbell is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archaeology, University College London and a Fellow of the British Academy. This catalogue complements both that by D.M. Wilson on the Anglo-Saxon Ornamental Metalwork, 700 - 1100, in the British Museum (London, 1964) and that by James Graham-Campbell on The Viking-Age Gold and Silver of Scotland (AD 850-1100) (Edinburgh, 1995).