A lecture by Dr Barrie Cook, presented by Kent Archives and Local History Service.
Half-groat (2-pence) of Henry VIII from the Deal hoard © The Trustees of the British Museum
Join Dr Cook for an insightful lecture exploring the 24 recorded medieval hoards from across Kent. He will examine both the collections he personally catalogued and earlier finds, placing them within their local settings and wider national context.
Entry is by ticket only. Tickets cost £10.
To book, please email archives@kent.gov.uk with the number of tickets you require and your contact number.
Most medieval coin hoards are modest in scale and were hidden, deposited or lost by members of the working rural population — the English peasantry — and by urban workers.
Among the hoards covered are notable ones from Seasalter, Ickham, Dover, Meopham, Bredgar, Charing, Maidstone and Deal, running from the reigns of Henry II to Edward VI. These hoards will be considered in their time, place and social world. While it is almost never possible to explain exactly why any individual hoard was deposited, they can all be placed in a context of work and life.
Dr Cook was curator of medieval and early modern coins at the British Museum until Spring 2025. Part of his role was the cataloguing of new coin hoards from England from 1180 onwards and he is currently publishing the medieval hoards among these in detail.
The first volume, English medieval coin hoards: age of the sterling penny, 1180–1351, appeared in January 2025;
the second, English medieval coin hoards: from the return to gold to the Great Debasement, 1351–1560, is due in early 2026.
Image: The jug in which the Deal hoard was found © The Trustees of the British Museum