Wirral's Hidden History Revealed
Medieval Mount
Finds From Wirral Medieval Mount This copper alloy decorated mount has us scratching our heads and speculating that the kneeling figure on the left was John the Baptist just before execution and the figure on the right swinging a blade. Having researched the medieval depictions of John the Baptist it is most common to just depict his head. An unusual item it…
Ceramics
Finds of Wirral Ceramics A couple of recent ceramic finds have been examined by PAS. The piece on the left is part of a curved roof tile dated AD1200-1700 while the piece on the right is part of a vessel with the same date range. From the other side you can clearly see on the piece from the vessel (right) a completely…
Roman Mount
Finds From Wirral Roman Mount This is a Roman mount that has been dated to the late Roman to Early Medieval period. (AD350-450). Such mounts were used decoratively and also to stiffen belts. This example still has the rivets in.
Post Medieval Coin
Finds From Wirral Post Medieval Coin Front and rear views of an Elizabeth I silver sixpence from the London Mint. This is a very simple one to date as the reverse is very well preserved so you can clearly see it dates from AD 1569. The face has survived less well but the left facing Queen can just be seen with the…
Bridle Bit
Finds From Wirral Bridle Bit An interesting little recent find is this small piece of Bridle Bit dated by the experts to AD 1000 to AD1100. It is broken but enough remains that the Portable Antiquities Scheme have been able to date it and also describe it as Anglo Scandinavian. PAS Report https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1144406
Copper Coin
Finds From Wirral 8 Maravedi Copper Alloy Coin Spanish Coin from 1841 wouldn’t be high on the list of expected finds from Wirral but it just goes to show that you never know what will turn up. This is an 8 Maravedi Copper Alloy Coin of Queen Isabella II of Spain. interested in finding out more about what we do then…
Trade Token
Finds From Wirral Trade Token Trade tokens are coin like objects that were issued by private companies. There was a coin shortage in the late 18th century as the Royal Mint reduced coin production so tokens like these became almost currency. They were redeemable at company offices or stores. This one is a half penny token which features John of Gaunt…
US Half Dollar
Finds from Wirral US Half Dollar Sometimes when metal detecting something unusual turns up. We definitely wouldn’t put a 1920 US half dollar high on the list of things that as we might expect to find on Wirral.
James 1 Coin
Finds from Wirral James 1 Coin Here we have a silver half groat of James I who was king from 1603-1625. This coin dates from the earliest part of his reign 1603-1604. He became James I of England upon the death of his cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Found on Wirral this is properly recorded on the Portable Antiquities database under the below…
Roman Coin
Finds from Wirral Roman Coin Currently submitted to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and awaiting validation and identification this tiny Roman coin which has been recently recovered has little or no monetary value. It is in a poor state but you can make out a head in the top photograph. Its true value however is in potentially identifying a previously unknown Roman…
Early Medieval Strap End
Finds From Wirral Early Medieval Strap End Although finds from the Wirral are quite rare from the period. A collection from Meols and a few more from around the area. Most are from the everyday life of the local inhabitants. We have strap ends like the one below, buckles, spindle whorls and gaming pieces. Unfortunately there are NO finds like posh brooches…
Charles II Coin
Finds from Wirral Charles II Coin Here we have another unusual find. This is a poor condition copper Irish halfpenny coin dating from the reign of Charles II. He reigned from 1645-1684. This coin dates to the end of his reign and was from 1680-1684. On the second image you can see the harp with the crown above. We always get our…
Medieval Coin
Finds from Wirral Medieval Coin Here we have a coin of Edward IV. His reign was unusual as it was split into two separate periods during mthe Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. As such Edward reigned from 4th March 1461 to 3 October 1470 and then again from 11th April 1471 until…
Modern – Bag ties
Finds from Wirral Bag Ties While nowhere near as old as some of our finds this is still interesting. It is a lead seal for a bag of bone manure fertiliser. Procter and Ryland were a manufacturer of bone meal fertiliser situated on the edge of the River Dee at Saltney just outside Chester. A chemical works had been operating on the…
Buckles
Finds from Wirral Buckles Here is a selection of the groups recent finds of buckles. They date from as early as AD500 through to around AD1650. All are copper alloy and all are recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) with the British Museum. All were recovered from Wirral. From top left we have an unusual find. A small d-shaped copper…