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Histories of Northamptonshire
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Wootton Coin Hoard

Roman 325 CE Roman and Early Medieval

Containing over 1900 coins this Roman hoard was found in Wootton Fields. They were buried during the later Roman period in a black pot.

Roman coin hoard buried in Wootton Fields, Northampton. © NMAG
Roman coin hoard buried in Wootton Fields, Northampton.

An estimated 1,900 coins corroded together in a lump, were discovered within the fragments of the black pot and shelly bowl they were buried in. The hoard was found in 1999 during groundworks for a new housing development at Wootton Fields, Northampton, on the site of a previously unknown Roman Villa.

A hoard is a collection of objects deliberately buried in the ground. They can vary in size and content and most hoards were buried with the intention of retrieving them later. Maybe this hoard was hidden for safekeeping, but the hoarder died before recovering it or they may have simply forgotten where it was buried!

The Romans came to Britain in 43 CE and introduced standardised Roman currency into the areas they conquered, fundamentally changing the local economy. Previously, the Celts had used their own coinage as a form of currency, though bartering and exchanging goods was more common. The Roman conquest of Celtic territories and the control over trade routes and resources led to the decline of Celtic trade and commerce.

Number 25 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.

Wootton Fields, Northampton
Contributed by NMAG

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