Edward the Elder Penny (CM.615-1998)

A silver penny of Edward the Elder found in Thurcaston, Leicestershire

A Horizontal type (HC1) silver penny of Edward the Elder (874-924), son of Alfred the Great, and minted by a moneyer called Beornwald. This coin was part of a hoard of twelve coins found at Thurcaston between 1992 and 2000. The coins are Anglo-Saxon, Arabic and Viking issues, and show the diverse and wide-ranging contacts between societies at this time. The hoard was probably deposited c.923-925, approximately five years after Leicester had been retaken by Mercia (c.918). They indicate that a bullion economy was still operating in the Danelaw as late as the 920s. This suggests that the reconquest did not immediately manage to institute Anglo-Saxon practices such as a monetary economy.

Object Type

Coin

Date

899 — 924

Style

Ascribed Culture

Original/Reproduction

Original

Material

Collection

Viking Objects

Current Location

The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Keywords

Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian, coin, Currency, Danelaw Saga, Economy, Fitzwilliam_Museum, Leicestershire, penny, silver, Thurcaston hoard, trade

Further information

You can see the original at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

This object is related to Thurcaston, Leicestershire.
Find out about Thurcaston, Leicestershire.

Acknowledgements

© The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

References

The Fitzwilliam Museum