Find Spot record MAB47427 - CLARENCE STREET, ABERDEEN

Coin hoard, found in 1867 by labourers excavating the old sewer in Clarence Street.

Coin hoard, found in 1867 by labourers excavating the old sewer in Clarence Street. A hoard of coins, of late 13th and 14th- century date, was reportedly found, contained in a pottery vessel. The jar, which was accidentally broken by a workman's pick, was of red clay, about 4 or 5 inches in diameter, and about 6 or 7 inches high. Another jar was found near the same spot, but had no contents. The composition of this hoard is not known in detail, because, unfortunately, the coins were dispersed shortly after it was found. However, the description of the coins in a contemporary newspaper account suggests that there were nearly a thousand coins, predominantly of Edward bearing on the face a crowned head encircled by the letters EDW.R.ANGL.DNS.HYB+, the reverse intersected by a cross with around the design the letters 'Civitas, London. This would indicate that they might have been buried about the year 1340. It is one of eight medieval hoards discovered in Aberdeen, which contribute to the City's reputation as the 'European capital' of buried wealth. This hoard is one of two discovered in the area of Fittie, or Footdee, which was, in the medieval period, a settlement adjacent to Aberdeen which drew its livelihood from fishing. See also NJ90NE0001. In the medieval heartland of Aberdeen itself, a total of five medieval coin hoards have been found, the first in 1807 . The largest of them is also one of the most extensive of its type ever found in Britain: it was revealed during building works on Upperkirkgate in 1886 and comprised over 12000 silver coins contained in a magnificent copper alloy cauldron. See also NJ90NW0665, NJ90NW0113, NJ90NW0114, NJ90NW0068, NJ90NE0018. Coins from that hoard are frequently on display in one of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums public buildings, while one of the hoards found during the construction of the St Nicholas Centre in the 1980s is on permanent exhibition in a special case within the Centre itself. Those hoards were claimed by the Crown as Treasure Trove.

EVANS, DH, 1989, PSAS 119(1988-9) 330-41, 328 (Bibliographic reference). SAB456.

DENNISON, E, 1997, HISTORIC ABERDEEN: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT. THE SCOTTISH BURGH SURVEY, p. 83 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4057.

Record last edited

Dec 31 2025 11:37AM