The Watlington Hoard - a treasure trove that was hidden for over a thousand years

The Watlington hoard was discovered on private land, near Watlington, by metal detectorist James Mather.

It consists of about 200 coins, seven items of jewellery and 15 silver ingots. The find is hugely significant to historians because it contains so many coins of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex from 871–899 and his less well known contemporary, Ceolwulf II of Mercia, who reigned from 874–c. 879. 

The hoard contains 13 examples of the rare ‘Two Emperors’ penny that shows Alfred and Ceolwulf seated side by side below a winged figure of Victory or an angel.

The image on the coins suggests an alliance between the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. This challenges the accounts found in written sources which dismiss Ceolwulf as a puppet of the Vikings.

Ceolwulf II, the last king of Mercia, quietly disappeared from the historical record in uncertain circumstances and Alfred and his successors then forged a new kingdom of England by taking control of Mercia, before conquering the regions controlled by the Vikings.

The hoard can be dated by the presence of a single ‘Two-Line’ type penny which was not produced until the late 870s, after the Battle of Edington (May 878) between Alfred’s forces and a Viking army.

Viking forces moved both by water and land, and they probably used the ancient trackway known as Icknield Street which passes through Watlington, close to where the hoard was found. It is possible that the hoard was buried in the wake of this violence or during the ensuing movement of peoples

In 2016, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford raised the funds to purchase these historic treasures for the nature, and they are now held at the museum.

Further reading

• Watlington Hoard - Ashmolean Museum
• Watlington hoard of Viking silver casts light on Alfred the Great era - Guardian

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