Find Spot record MDO419 - The Muckleford Hoard, found at Higher Muckleford Farm, Bradford Peverell

115 gold Stuart coins, which are all of James I or Charles I. They were found in association with two brass rings, presumably the remnants of a long purse that they were buried in. The first coin discovered had been unearthed by a cow.

THE MUCKLEFORD TREASURE TROVE

The honour of discovering the Muckleford Hoard must ultimately go to a cow, for it was a cow who unearthed the first coin. One evening in January 1935, Mr. George Chell of Higher Muckleford Farm, in the parish of Bradford Peverell, picked up a gold coin on a bank near his house. A fence had recently been built along the bank, and Mr. Chell's cows had taken to walking up and down along it, in the course of which one of them had unearthed the coin. Mr. Chell immediately followed up his discovery by digging near where the coin was found, and was rewarded by finding the hoard of gold Stuart coins now known as the Muckleford Treasure Trove. Only a few of the coins had been disturbed. The majority were found piled neatly in two columns side by side, as if they had been in a long purse when they were buried. Though the fabric of the purse had vanished utterly in the course of time, two brass rings remained with the coins to show how the mouth of the purse had been sealed.
Mr. Chell's discovery roused the immediate interest of the public, and notices ocurred in the daily papers. An inquest was held in Dorchester on the sixth of February, 1935, by the Coroner, Major G. G. H. Symes, at which the jury agreed that "the Treasure so found was of ancient times deposited, hidden and concealed, and that the owner or owners cannot now be known." They therefore adjudged it to be "Treasure Trove," and the Coroner "took and seized it into his Majesty's hands." The coins were accordingly forwarded to the Treasury, and from the Treasury to the British Museum… The hoard consists of 115 gold coins, all of James I or Charles I. The coins are not of pure gold, but of an alloy known as 'crown' gold… (1)

In January 1935, Mr George Chell of Higher Muckleford Farm found a hoard of 115 gold coins of James and Charles I on a bank near the house. The hoard of 115 gold coins of James I and Charles I on a bank near the house. The hoard was declared Treasure Trove and claimed by the Treasury and deposited in the British Museum which retained 25 of the coins. Ten were presented to the Dorset County Museum. (1)

(SY 64099351). Mr J Chell confirmed the find referred to in Auth 1 and pointed out on the ground the exact find spot. Some of the coins, as described, are still in his possession and were seen. The site is grass covered. (2)

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1936, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1935, 18-38 (Serial). SDO38.

<2> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 24-JAN-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453706 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 8 2024 4:36PM