Bootham Hoard Explained

The Bootham Hoard (also known as the Bootham School Hoard) is a hoard of coins found in a bronze vessel at Bootham School in York in 1953.^[1]

Discovery

The hoard was discovered by workmen digging in the courtyard of Bootham School on 29 September 1953. They reported the find to George Willmot (Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum). The labourer, John Skaife, reported that he found the hoard at a depth of 7feet and the coins were wrapped in a piece of textile.^[2] An inquest in October declared the find to be a Treasure trove. The Yorkshire Museum purchased the hoard, with the exception of eight coins which were acquired by the British Museum.

Contents

The hoard contained 908 coins. 839 were English silver pennies from the period AD 1251–1326, 16 were Irish coins, 40 Scottish, and 12 Continental.

Notes and References

1. The 1953 Bootham Treasure Trove . Dolley, R.H.M . Stewart, I.H. . 1952–1954 . British Numismatic Journal . 27 . 281–293.
2. News: Coins Buried at Time When Civil War Threatened. Treasure Trove, Says York Jury. . Yorkshire Observer . 31 October 1953.