TWO COIN H O A R D S OF THE R E B E L L I O N
P E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
By
W . A. SEABY
Derry, March 1955
IN February 1955 Mr. Frederick Watterson, a farmer at Drumenagh near the
north-western corner of Lough Neagh, Co. Londonderry, was reploughing
a field on his farm, known as the Bog, which had first been cultivated in
1953 (Irish Grid Ref. H937.874; O.S. 6 in. Londonderry sheet 47). On
5 March he dug a shallow drain across the field and saw a silver coin on top of
the ground. He dug at the spot and came across more coins buried in four
separate piles, the top of each being only some five inches from the ploughed
surface.
On the evening of 4 May Dr. William Cousley, coroner for south Derry,
conducted an inquest in Magherafelt Court House and returned a verdict of
treasure trove, all 132 coins being retained by the Northern Ireland Ministry
of Finance on behalf of the Crown.
Later an examination was made at the British Museum by Dr. J. P. C. Kent
who noted the discoloration of some of the pieces and advised that they should
be checked for gilding since Stuart silver coins were often gilded in an attempt
to pass them as gold. However, subsequent examination by Mr. Martyn
Jope, Queen's University, showed that the discoloration was due to compacted iron-staining which was easily removable.
It was decided that the hoard should be retained intact by the Ministry of
Finance and placed on temporary exhibition in the Belfast Museum, pending
the setting up of a State Museum in Northern Ireland. The finder, Mr.
Watterson, was rewarded with £30, representing the full market value of the
coins.
The coins which compose this hoard are of good quality silver. They cover
a period of approximately eighty-eight years from the reign of Mary to 1642.
With the exception of two, one from Spanish America and a Scottish thirtyshilling piece, they consist entirely of English half-crowns, shillings, and sixpences all struck at the Tower Mint, London. Together they make up a face
value total of £6. 4s. 6d.
During the period covered by the hoard coins of debased silver were
minted for Ireland, but in 1637 Charles I abolished the name and title of the
Irish money or 'harps' and proclaimed that all payments should be made in
English money. 1 This was done largely to counter the practice of hoarding
gold and silver or, worse still, of melting it down to make table plate, while
allowing coins of baser metals to circulate freely for purposes of normal
trade. It will be seen that no Irish types appear in the list, although occasionally
they have appeared in other hoards.
DRUMENAGH TOWNLAND, CO.
1
Council Order Book A 42, No. 34; Simon, Essay on Irish Coins (1749, reprinted 1810), App.
No. xlv, 113.
H O A R D S O F T H E R E B E L L I O N P E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
405
The hoard can be classed as a typical assemblage of regal money brought
together about the time of the Civil War in Britain. Such finds are common in
England and many of the same period have come to light in Ireland, both from
the north and south of the country. They may be said to be directly associated
with the economic and political stress which resulted from the Catholic
uprising during the years 1641-3.
In order to put down the Irish rebellion the English House of Commons
during November 1641 resolved to borrow £50,000 from the City of London,
for which full security was to be given; 1 orders were passed that a sum of
£20,000 be sent over to Ireland without delay, that ships be sent to guard the
coast, and a force of 6,000 foot and 2,000 horse be raised and dispatched to
Dublin. It was further resolved that negotiations should be opened with the
Scots for a force of 2,000 foot and 500 horse to be landed in Ulster. 2 Within
a short space of time, however, owing to the success of the rebels in the North,
the English Commons complied with the wishes of the Irish Government in
June 1642 by increasing the sum for the prosecution of the war to £100,000.3
To raise further funds in Ireland the lord justices in Dublin issued a
proclamation (14 January 1642) to encourage loyal subjects to bring in their
gold and silver plate for service of the Government. 4 This was coined into
provisional pieces bearing stamps of different weight-values and known today
as Inchiquin money, after Murrough, Viscount Inchiquin. 5 In the following
year a further supply of money was struck in Dublin, each piece bearing on
one side a crowned C.R. and on the reverse the respective value (Vs, lis
Vid, Xlld, VId, &c.). This coinage is usually referred to as Ormonde money
after the Marquis, later Duke, of Ormonde. 6 Such 'money of necessity' is of
good weight and fineness, but it is noteworthy that none occurs in the
Drumenagh find.
As there are twenty-four coins (more than one-sixth of the whole and
amounting to a little over one-quarter of the total value) issued in London after
1640, it may be assumed that part of the hoard, and probably all of it, is made
up from the moneys sent to Ireland by the English Parliament. It follows,
therefore, that the coins may represent either a direct payment to someone in
authority for support of the Crown forces, or may possibly have formed part
of an English army pay bag.7 Their general state, very worn in the earlier
1
Ramsay Colles, History of Ulster iii (1919), 27; Calendar State Papers domestic 1641-3, 154,
158, 159 (2, 4, and 5 Nov.), Commons J. ii. 300 (1 Nov.), 303-4 (3 Nov.), 308 (9 Nov.).
2
C. S. P. dom. 1641-3, 162, 164 (11 Nov.).
3
C. S. P. dom. 1641-3, 345 (22 June 1642). For general accounts of the financing of British
troops in Ireland during the Rebellion, and the methods used in raising loans through the City of
London, and from the Irish Adventurers, see Hugh Hazlett, Irish Historical Studies i (1938-9),
21-41, J. R. MacCormack, ibid, x (1956-7), 21-39 with Appendix, 39-58. It would appear that
whereas the House of Commons, under Pym, was raising large sums and forces for the suppression
of the Irish rising in the North, in point of fact much of the money and many of the troops were
diverted and used by the Parliamentarians in their struggle against the king when the English Civil
War broke out during the summer of 1642.
4
Council Order Book A 42, No. 71; Simon, Essay on Irish Coins (1749, reprinted 1810), App.
No. xlvii, 116.
5
Aquilla Smith, J. Roy. Soc. Antiq. Ireland vi (1860-1), 11-20.
6
Aquilla Smith, ibid, iii (1854-5), 16-24.
7
Three paymaster's bags of leather, in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery, Belfast
(Acc. Nos. 945 to 947-1897), were rescued in 1897 from the warehouse of a London slipper manufacturer who had purchased them, with some hundreds of others, to cut up as linings. Each bears
406
TWO COIN HOARDS OF THE
pieces but improving steadily to almost mint condition in the latest, appears
consistent with a rapid assembly from coinage in circulation.
Like most of the other hoards found in the country, this one appears to
have been deliberately hidden, with the intention of later recovery by the
owner, for the coins were neatly arranged and were at a comparatively shallow
depth in the ground. It would seem that each pile had been rolled in paper or
placed in some similar covering, such as cloth, which had long since perished. 1
The deposition probably took place towards the end of 1641 or early in
1642; the hoard is unlikely to have been placed there after 1643 by reason of
the fact that the initial-marks on the coins of Charles I stop at 'triangle in
circle' (1641-3).2
The Scottish thirty-shilling piece of Charles I, struck by Falconer, is in very
fine condition and dates from 1638 to 1641; such coins were nominally only
current in England and Ireland for half-a-crown. 3 It may have arrived with the
Scottish troops who landed at Carrickfergus during April 1642 and who
brought with them money, arms, and other supplies; 4 there is no reason,
however, why this coin should not have come into the country either direct
from Scotland or through England at a somewhat earlier date. Its condition
is such that it can only have passed through comparatively few hands before
deposition.
The Spanish-American piece of eight reals, bearing the arms of the Royal
House of Spain, is, by contrast with the Scottish coin, a travesty of design
and execution, being so mis-struck and clipped that it is impossible to see
whose inscription it bears. 5 These 'pieces-of-eight' must have circulated quite
extensively in Ireland where they were valued at between As. 6d. and As. 9d.,
a higher figure than that at which they passed in England. 6
Below is set out a detailed list of the coins found at Drumenagh, while
Appendix I summarizes some twenty-seven hoards of the Civil War period
found in Ireland; it does not claim to be exhaustive. Of these, twelve or more
have been reported in sufficient detail to show their composition, and an
analysis of eleven with percentages is given in Appendix II. The English
Elizabethan coins, largely sixpences, take the lead with over 56 per cent.;
Stuart coinage, including the comparatively few Irish and Scottish pieces,
accounts for more than a further 35 per cent.; the remainder is made up of
an inscription and is dated to the year of the king, being respectively 21 Edward III (1347), 17
Richard II (1393), and 21 James I (1623). The ink on the last has almost faded away but sufficient
remains to testify that the names inscribed are those of Sir Marmaduke Darrell and Sir John
Suckling (Secretary of State, 1622). Money bags such as this one would have been in use during
the campaigning in Ireland at the time of the Rebellion.
1
Just as copper money today is made up in piles and placed in bags or ' rolls' to specified values
by the banks.
2
H. A. Seaby, Notes on English Silver Coins, 1066-1648, B. A. Seaby Ltd., London (1948), 69.
G. C. Brooke, English Coins (1932), 211.
3
H. A. Grueber, Handbook of Coins of Great Britain and Ireland in the B.M. (1899), 201-2;
E. Burns, Coinage of Scotland ii (1887), 469, No. 38; I. H. Stewart, The Scottish Coinage (1955),
156, No. 222a.
4
Ramsay Colles, History of Ulster iii (1919), 41; Diet. Nat. Biog. xxxviii, 188; Register Privy
Council, Scotland, 1638-43, vii (1906), 235.
5
Probably Philip III (1598-1621), or Philip IV (1621-65).
6
M. S. D. Westropp, Proc. Roy. Irish Acad, xxxiii, Section C, no. 3 (1916), 46-47; Appendix II
shows that Spanish coins account for well over 5 per cent, of the total coins in the eleven hoards
analysed for this period.
HOARDSOFTHER E B E L L I O NP E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
407
Spanish and other foreign coins about 6-5 per cent., and the Edward VI and
Mary issues nearly 2 per cent.
Sizes and composition of hoards vary considerably. As many as 700 coins
were found at Paddinstown, Co. Westmeath, and as few as five at Templetuohy. Some hoards, those of Portarlington (1947) and Belfast (1840-50) included gold pistoles struck by Lord Inchiquin, while that at Newry (1849)
appears to have contained only English gold. Most of the silver hoards contained a few Spanish pieces, while one deposit at Fountainstown (1835) consisted entirely of brass siege pieces struck at Cork and Youghal. Coins struck
by the Confederate Catholics occur but rarely in hoards of official English
and Irish issues.
A number of hoards, owing to the clipped and worn condition of the coins
(e.g. nos. 8, 11, 14,15, 17), may be more truly related to the issues of English
milled silver by Charles II in 1662. Much hammered silver was deposited in
hoards at the time when it was being called in by the authorities. The Portarlington hoards are likely to be associated with the fighting during the
Commonwealth.
D E T A I L E D L I S T OF D R U M E N A G H
HOARD
No. of
Specimens
ENGLISH
Philip and Mary
(1553-58)
1
Shilling, undated type, c. 1554
2
Shilling, dated, 1555 .
1
1
Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
3-20
Shillings, i.m. lis, 1558-61 (1); cross-crosslet, 1558-61 (4); martlet, 1560-1
(4); bell, 1582-4 (2); hand, 1590-2 (1); tun, 1592-5 (3); woolpack, 1594-6
(1); key, 1595-8 (1); 1, 1601 (1)
21-67 Sixpences, i.m. pheon, 1561 (2); 1562 over 1 (1); 1564 (2); portcullis, 1566
(3); coronet, 1567 (1); 1569 (6); castle, 1570 (1); ermine, 1572 (4, one split
in two pieces); 1573 (1); acorn, 1573 (1); eglantine, 1574 (2); 1575 (1); 1576
(1); Greek cross over eglantine, 1578 over 7 (1); Greek cross, 1578 (2);
1579 (1); Latin cross, 1580(2); 1581 (1); sword, 1582 (1); bell, 1582(1); 1583
(1); A, 1584 (2); escallop, 1586 (1); crescent, 1587 (1); hand, 1590 (1); tun,
1592 (2); 1593 (1); woolpack, 1594 (1); key, 1596 (1); 2, 1602 (1)
.
.
James I (1603-25)
68-82 Shillings, 1st coinage, 2nd bust, i.m. thistle, 1603-4 (5); lis, 1604 (1); 2nd
coinage, 3rd bust, lis, 1604-5 (1); 4th bust, rose, 1605-6 (1); escallop, 1606-7
(3); grapes, 1607 (1); 5th bust, coronet, 1608-9 (1); 3rd coinage, 6th bust, trefoil over lis and trefoil, 1624 (1); trefoil, 1624 (1)
83-5
Sixpences, 2nd coinage, 3rd bust, i.m. lis, 1604 (1); 4th bust, grapes, 1607
(1); bell, 1610 (1)
18
47
15
3
Charles I (1625-49), coins all of Tower Mint
86-97 Half-crowns, i.m. crown, 1635-6, type 3a 1 (2); tun, 1636-8, type 3a 1 (2);
star, 1640-1, type 4 (2); triangle in circle, 1641-3, type 4 (6) .
.
. 1 2
98-123 Shillings, oval shield, i.m. bell, 1634-5, type 3a 1 (2); crown, 1635-6, type 3a
(1); tun, 1636-8, type 3a (2); small XII, square shield, type 4 2 (1); large XII,
square shield, type 4 3 (1); anchor to r, 1638-9, type 4 3 (2); anchor to 1,
type 4 3 (1); triangle, 1639-40, type 4'1 (4); triangle in circle, 1641-3, type 4 4
(12)
26
b 8835
e e
408
TWO COIN HOARDS OF THE
No. of
Specimens
124-30 Sixpences, oval shield, i.m. tun, 1636-8, type 3a (1); square shield, triangle,
1639-40, type 4 2 (1); type 4 3 (1); triangle in circle, 1641-3, type 4 3 , mis.
.
7
struck obv. (1); type 4 3 (1); type 4 3 , obv. i.m. from faulty die (2)
SCOTTISH
Charles I
131
Thirty-shilling piece by Falconer. Second issue with F below horse. I.m.
thistle (1638-41). Burns No. 38
1
SPANISH
AMERICAN
Period of Philip III (1598-1621) (?)
132
Eight reals or dollar. Mint uncertain, probably Potosi. Badly struck and
with very little of inscription surviving. Obv. square shield of royal arms
with Leon and Castile in first quarter. Rev. alternating lion and castle in
ornamental cartouche
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
Total 132
Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 1959
Since the above account was written for publication a second apparently
much smaller hoard of the same period has turned up some twelve miles
distant from the first on the outskirts of Cookstown (Irish Grid Ref. H814.
772; O.S. 6 in. Tyrone sheet 38). The coins were in the soil at the base of a
small outcrop of limestone rock, in a little spinney of thorns, a hiding place
easy to identify but relatively well concealed from inquisitive eyes.
It was the farmer's son, James Wylie, who found the pieces and through
a friend informed the Belfast Museum, his principal discovery having taken
place on 27 March 1959. Mr. F. J. Falkiner, Assistant Secretary to the
Ministry of Finance, in company with the writer, visited the site and learned
from Mr. Wylie that two coins, probably shillings, had been found on a
previous occasion but these could not now be traced. Those produced consisted of 2 Elizabeth I shillings, 1 James I shilling, 1 Charles I shilling, and an
Elizabethan sixpence dated 1565. The Coroner of the district was informed
but did not consider an inquest necessary. As treasure trove the coins were
handed over to the Ministry of Finance, and the find was reported to the
Ancient Monuments Council on 15 April 1959.
On 30 April, while digging in the ground close to the position of the original
find, Mr. Wylie turned up six further coins. They consisted of an Elizabeth I
shilling and a Charles I shilling, an Elizabeth I sixpence, two Charles I sixpences, and an Irish shilling of James I. These were also duly reported to the
Coroner who pronounced them part of the original concealment and the
Ministry took possession of them. A reward, amounting to £4, was duly
paid to the finder for the eleven pieces.
The coins may be part of a larger hoard, like that from Drumenagh, or
merely a purseful. In any case they have been much disturbed and it is not
unlikely that originally they were concealed in a crevice of the rock face.
However that may be, they appear to be a typical deposit of the early period
GORTALOWRY TOWNLAND,
HOARDSOFTHER E B E L L I O NP E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
409
of the Rebellion since the wear on the earlier silver contrasts markedly with
the freshness of the Caroline pieces, the latest initial-mark on a shilling and
sixpence of which is 'triangle' (1639-40).1 The two coins, found in the same
spot some three or four years earlier and now mislaid, have not been identified with any certainty but from remarks made by Mr. Wylie they may have
been worn shillings of Elizabeth I.
D E T A I L E D L I S T OF G O R T A L O W R Y
HOARD
ENGLISH
Elizabeth I
1-3
(1558-1603)
Shillings, i.m. cross-crosslet, 1558-61 (1); martlet, 1560-1 (1); key, 1595-8
(1)
Sixpences, i.m. rose, 1565 (1); key, 1598 (1)
4, 5
James I
6
3
2
(1603-25)
Shilling, 2nd coinage, 3rd bust, i.m. rose, 1605
.
.
.
.
.
1
Charles I (1625-49), coins all of Tower Mint
7, 8
Shillings, oval shield, CR either side, i.m. portcullis, 1633-4, type 31 (1);
square shield, i.m. triangle, 1639^10, type 4" (1)
9, 10
Sixpences, square shield, i.m. tun, 1636-8, type 4 1 (1); i.m. triangle, 163940, type 4 3 (1)
2
2
IRISH
James I
11
Shilling, 2nd coinage, as 4th bust of English coinage, i.m. rose, 1605
.
1
Total 11
APPENDIX I
SOME
PUBLISHED
HOARDS
F O U N D
IN
OF
THE
PERIOD
1640-62
IRELAND
Abbreviations
B.N.J.
N.C.
J.R.S.A.I.
U.J.A.
C.I.
1.
1825.
2. 2
1837.
1
= British Numismatic
Journal
= Numismatic
Chronicle
= Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (formerly the Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological
Society)
= Ulster Journal of Archaeology
= A View of the Coinage of Ireland (Cork, 1839)
At Fethard, Co. Tipperary, a leaden box containing a number of gold
coins and some silver of Charles I. also a crucifix (J.R.S.A.I. iv (1856-7),
49).
In neighbourhood of Fethard, Co. Tipperary, several hundred silver and
a few gold coins, the silver almost all of the reign of Charles I, principally half-crowns with a few of James I, the gold mostly Spanish; most
of the coins composing the hoard were 'extremely common and uninteresting' (Lindsay, C.I. (1839), 135).
H. A. Seaby, Notes, &c., 69; G. C. Brooke, English Coins (1932), 211.
It is possible that hoards 1 and 2 are the same and that there is confusion in the date of
discovery.
2
476
TWO COIN H O A R D S OF THE
3.
1835.
4.
1840.
5.
1850.
6.
1846.
7.
1846.
8.
1850.
9.
1855.
10.
1904.
11.
Undated
(c. 1911)
12.
1911.
13.
pre-1911.
14.
1912.
15.
1913.
16.
1921.
17.
1928.
Fountainstown, near Cork, a parcel of brass siege coins were found. They
are of square form and appear to have been struck at Cork and Youghal
about the year 1646; they all fell into the hands of the late Mr. Leyburn
(Lindsay, C.I. (1839), 134).
Near Belfast, a gold coin (pistole) marked on both sides, 4 dwt. 7 gr.,
supposed to have been struck by Lord Inchiquin. In the collection of
James Carruthers (U.J.A. i (1853), 164).
Near Belfast. About this time 5 similar coins (gold pistoles) discovered.
Two were in the cabinet of Sir Montague Chapman, Bart., and another
in the possession of Dr. Aquilla Smith of Dublin (U.J.A. i (1853), 164).
Near Ballymena, Co. Antrim, 50 coins. Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I,
all of which were in poor condition (? clipped) (U.J.A. i (1853), 166).
Near Belfast, early in May of this year were found a few ounces of silver
coins of Charles I and one Scottish shilling of James I (U.J.A. i (1853),
166).
Near Belfast, 120oz. of coins of Charles I, all in poor condition (J.R.S.A.I.
iv (1856-7), 50).
Lady Dover's Cottages, Castle Ellis Road, near Gowran, Kilkenny. Mr.
B. Taylor reports that Patrick Hanlon while digging potatoes struck a
rotten box which broke to pieces revealing 500 silver coins. Taylor saw
only 50: 12 Elizabeth I Is., no dates; 14 Elizabeth I 6d., 1561, 3, 5, 9, 71,
5, 81, 7, 92, 1602; 9 James I Is., undated; 4 James I 6d., 1603, 4, 5 , 1 1 ;
9 Charles I l.v., four varieties undated; 2 Spanish dollars (J.R.S.A.I.
iii
(1854-5), 374).
Galway Courthouse. A total of 8 coins as follows: 2 Edward VI Is.;
1 James I 6d.; 1 Charles I 2s. 6d.; 1 Charles I l.y. Irish: 2 Henry VIII 4d.;
1 Spanish dollar (clipped), period Philip II-IV. All in Nat. Mus., Dublin
(B.N.J, xxvii (1955), 215).
Paddinstown, 7 miles from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, 700 coins mostly
shillings and sixpences of Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth I, James I, and
Charles I; 320 were acquired by James Tuite, Mullingar, the rest by a man
living near Rathconrath. Most in good condition, the remainder considerably rubbed and very much clipped. Found closely packed about
2 feet from surface and had been wrapped in cloth (J.R.S.A.I. xli (1912),
67).
Near Crumlin, Co. Antrim, early in March, 95 English coins in rabbit
burrow, all silver, 2s. fit/., I .v., and 6 d. of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I.
Beyond this it has been impossible to obtain any information (B.N.J, viii
(1912), 363-4).
Co. Armagh. A somewhat similar discovery made a few years before, the
coins inspected being of the same reigns and denominations as no. 12.
The condition indicated they had been in circulation (B.N.J, viii (1912),
361-4).
Abbeylands, near Castledermot, Co. Kildare; found 26 March in stoneware jar about 2 feet down in moory soil 226 coins from Edward VI to
Charles I, including 1 Scottish and 55 Spanish, French, and other foreign
coins. For details see Appendix II (J.R.S.A.I. xlii (1913), 70 and B.N.J.
ix (1913), 415-16).
Camolin, Co. Wexford, found during ploughing in the springtime in a
solid mass of clay (very discoloured). Total 77 coins with face value of
805. from Edward Vl-Charles I (R) = 1644. See Appendix II (B.N.J, x
(1914), 315-18).
Abbeylands, Navan, Co. Meath, found on 17 June during the cleaning out
of a ditch in a black-glazed crock 29 coins of Edward VI to Charles I,
and a further find of 446 additional coins belonging to the same hoard,
Edward VI to Charles I, 3 Scottish and 12 Spanish. Deposit after 1645.
See Appendix II (J.R.S.A.I.
li (1921), 78-79 and 179-80, also lii, 88).
Templemichael, on road from Longford to Granard about half-mile from
HOARDSOFTHER E B E L L I O NP E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
18.
1931.
19.
1942.
20.
1944.
21.
1945.
22.
1947/8.
23.
Undated.
24.
Undated.
25.
1955.
26.
1955.
27.
1959.
411
former, found on 28 May by workmen removing bank on road, 218
coins in group and probably originally in bag about 18 inches down and
a few feet out into a field. Elizabeth I to Charles I with Scottish merk, 3 of
Spain and Netherlands and 9 cob dollars. Mostly clipped and even the
most recent ones worn so perhaps deposited later than the introduction
of milled currency. See Appendix II (J.R.S.A.I. lix (1929), 183).
Ballyconagan, Rathlin, Co. Antrim, 101 coins found in June, near mouth
of rabbit hole. N o coroner's inquest, but purchased by the Ministry of
Finance where they are now held. Identified at the BM, Mary to Charles I
and 2 Irish shillings. Latest initial-mark: star (1640-1). See Appendix II
(U.J.A. v (1942), 66) Inf. Anc. Mon. Council, Ministry of Finance, N.I.
Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Total 321. Edward VI to Charles I with 1 Irish
sixpence and 13 fragments of Spanish dollars. See Appendix II. National
Museum, Dublin (B.N.J, xxvii (1955), 214).
Templetuohy, Co. Tipperary. Total 5. Elizabeth I 1,j. (1), Charles I
2s. 6d. (3) and Blacksmith's 2s. 6d. Nat. Mus. Dublin (B.N.J, xxvii (1955),
215).
Gortnahilta, Co. Mayo. Total 6. Elizabeth I 6d. (1); James I l.y. (1);
Charles I l.y. (2) and clipped Spanish dollars (2). National Museum,
Dublin (B.N.J, xxvii (1955), 215).
Near Portarlington, Co. Leix, over 100 gold coins, 6 being Irish pistoles
not dated but c. 1646. The rest of the deposits was composed of English,
Scottish, French, Spanish, and Italian coins, 99 being gold and 5 silver,
mostly hammered. They were discovered by several local men and boys in
a bracken-covered sandhill at three or more dates. It has been suggested
that the coins were hidden during the Cromwellian period, the latest
pieces being Commonwealth unites (2) and double crown dated 1651.
National Museum, Dublin. (Information from Dr. William O'Sullivan.)
Rannyhual, Co. Donegal. Total 34 coins. Philip and Mary to Charles I.
See Appendix II. National Museum, Dublin (B.N.J, xxvii (1955), 214).
Deramfield, Co. Cavan. Total 14 coins from Philip and Mary to Charles I
and including 4 cob dollars. See Appendix II. National Museum, Dublin
(B.N.J, xxvii (1955), 214).
Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork. Total 58 coins, from Elizabeth I to Charles I,
found on a farm at Barryscourt, between Cork and Middleton, while
rabbiting in a bank. There was no container. See Appendix II. National
Museum, Dublin (N.C. xv (1955), 247-9).
Drumenagh, near Magherafelt, Co. Derry. Found in field during trenching 132 coins from Philip and Mary to Charles I including Scottish 30s.
piece and Spanish-American dollar. See Appendix II and this report.
A.M.C., Min. of Finance, N.I. (Belfast News-Letter, 5 May 1955.)
Gortalowry, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. Total (to date) of 11 coins from
Elizabeth I to Charles I. See Appendix II and this report. A.M.C., Ministry
of Finance, N.I.
Ballyconagan,
Rathlin Island
(1931)
Templemichael,
Co. Longford
(1928)
Navan,
Co. Meath
(1921)
Camolin,
Co. Wexford
(1913)
Countries and Rulers
Abbeylands,
Co. Kildare
c1912)
Denominations
or Values
A P P E N D I X II: ANALYSIS OF
Irish:
Elizabeth I .
Is.
James I
,,
...
Charles I:
Inchiquin
A
1 s.
6d.
7
1
2s. 6d.
3
5s.
Ormonde
,i
»»
2
2s. 6d.
»
•
(Confed. Cath.)
Blacksmith's .
1
2
6d.
1
2s. 6d.
1
3
Scottish:
James VI: Merk 13s. Ad.
„
\ Merk 3j. Ad.
Charles I: 30s.
.
Is.
•id.
3
HI
1
2s. 6d.
1
English :
Edward VI.
\s.
»
6d.
Mary alone
Ad.
Philip and Mary .
\s.
2
2
2
6d.
Elizabeth I .
,,,, . . *. ..
,, . . .
James I
„ ...
,,
Charles I
...
2
\s.
31
6d.
85*
44
52
30f
33
193
103§
28
Ad.
1
3d.
1
2s. 6d.
\s.
6 d.
3t
9
1
18
10
,, . . .
2s. 6d.
\s.
9t
»
6d.
6+
Spanish,
.
2
2
6t
2
11(h)
44
14
16
23
9
4
29d
lot
1
79(r)
31
lis
18t/c
4
etc.:
Dollar (8 reals)
i Dollar (4 „ )
i
„
(2 „ )
As. 6d.
2s. 3d.
Is. lid.
8
4
Foreign:
Miscellaneous
Totals .
10**
226
)'
3
77
474
218
101
* One milled, four very worn.
f Much clipped.
§ Seventeen of these clipped and worn,
not identified with certainty.
|| Recorded as shilling of James V (Scotland).
** Possibly
two English coins of Philip and Mary included in these.
2
Deramfield,
Co. Cavan
(undated)
Rannyhual,
Co. Donegal
(undated)
Gortalowry,
Co. Tyrone
(1959)
Drumenagh,
Co. Derry
(1955)
Carrigtwohill,
Co. Cork
(1955)
Ballimsloe,
Co. Galway
C1942)
E L E V E N I R I S H H O A R D S (c. 1640-62)
Total
Percentage
1
1
006
1
8
0-48
1
11
0-66
4
0-24
2
0-12
2
0-12
4
0-24
1
0-06
4
0-24
1
0-06
2
0-12
1
7
0-42
1
3
0-18
1
3
3
2
3
0-18
1
11
0-66
3
0-18
57
10
18
3
8
2
288
17-28
161
24
47
2
5
1
649
38-94
1
0-06
3
0-18
4
0-24
1
2
39
3
15
13
1
3
1
6
1
166
9-96
4
1
68
4-08
3
1
12t/c
3
1
68
4-08
22
3
26t/c
2t
3
3
200
12-00
6
1
7T/c
2t
1
45
2-70
13
4
L
4
|
3
92
5-52
1
2
321
58
132
11
(+2)
34
14
15
0-90
1,666
99-96
T = to i.m. triangle 1639-40.
s = to i.m. star 164041.
t / c = to i.m. triangle in circle
1641-3.
(r) = to i.m. (r) 1644-5.
d = includes one Declaration piece 1645.
414
H O A R D S O F T H E R E B E L L I O N P E R I O D (1641-9) F R O M U L S T E R
O T H E R T O T A L S A N D P E R C E N T A G E S OF T H E
ELEVEN
H O A R D S A N A L Y S E D ABOVE
Countries of origin (to nearest 0-5 per cent.)
England
Ireland
Scotland
Foreign (mostly Spain)
Coin Values
Crown
Half-crown (including Scottish 30s.)
Shilling (including Scottish 13s. Ad.)
Sixpence
Fourpence
.
.
.
.
.
Threepence (including Scottish 3s. Ad.)
Foreign denominations (not assessed)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Reigns
Edward VI (6 years approx.)
Mary, including Philip (5 years approx.)
.
.
.
Elizabeth I (45 years approx.)
James I (22 years approx.)
Charles I, including Confed. Catholic (24 years approx.)
Foreign, not assessed (50 years at least)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Total
Percentage
1,519
33
7
107
91-0
2-0
0-5
6-5
1,666
1000
2
81
685
783
4
4
107
0-12
4-86
41-10
46-98
0-24
0-24
6-42
1,666
99-96
10
17
942
262
328
107
0-60
1-02
56-52
15-72
19-68
6-42
1,666
99-96