A HAUL of medieval coins uncovered in a field near Okehampton Castle by Teignbridge History FInders will go on display at the Museum of Dartmoor Life next week (October 13).

The museum has been able to buy the coins thanks to grants, including some from local councillors.

There is a short window to see them at the museum before it closes for the winter on Saturday, November 7.

The 21 coins consist of 13 groats and eight pennies, with a total value of 60 old pence. They were minted during the reigns of five different kings, with dates spanning 160 years.

The coins were discovered by Teignbridge History Finders, Peter Young, Neil King, Jim Luxton, Clive Hammett and Paul May, who were metal detecting in a field near the castle back in 2024.

Clive Hammett said: “I came across Paul May wandering down from the field above. ‘Any luck?’ Paul amazed me by coolly showing me three lovely medieval silver groats…. I gave him a finds bag and helped him work out the grid reference for reporting and proceeded up the hill to check out the find area…. Neil King and Pete Young were both feverishly detecting and digging, that’s when they weren’t whooping in delight as they found hammered coin after coin…. I quickly found a lovely groat …. I was in luck and consequently found four Edward III pennies.

He added: “We returned to the finds spot a month later with the dig organiser Jim Luxton to double check the area and give Jim a chance to find something. He succeeded in finding a worn small penny.”

Eight coins discovered by Neil King during the first visit to the site a mile away from Okehampton castle. (Picture: Neil King).
Eight coins discovered by Neil King during the first visit to the site near Okehampton Castle ( Neil King)

The finds were deemed a scattered hoard and designated as treasure by the coroner, after an inquest.

Finds are usually offered to the larger museums in the area, but the Museum of Dartmoor Life contacted the finds liaison officer and expressed an interest with the British Museum in obtaining the hoard so it could go on display near to where it was found.

Manager/curator of the Museum of Dartmoor Life, Kristy Turner said:“This was too great an opportunity for us to miss. It is fantastic for our museum to be able to share this treasure with our Dartmoor community and visitors and wonder at the story behind why the coins were buried here in 1430. Socially, times were hard then, with harsh weather conditions causing famine, the plague rearing its head again and the failing Hundred Years War taxing everyone heavily. Nowhere and no one was safe and burying your savings was the closest thing you had to a bank.

“Of course, we never would have been able to buy these coins without help from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and National Lottery support. We are also very grateful for the wonderful donations from their Locality funds, by councillors Tony Leech, George Dexter, Jan Goffey and Caroline Mott, of West Devon Borough Council.”

The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a government fund that helps regional museums, record offices and specialist libraries in England and Wales acquire objects relating to the arts, literature and history. It was established at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 1881 and continues to be part of its nationwide work.