The Tregwynt Hoard is a mid-17th-century
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
of coins found at
Tregwynt Mansion near
Fishguard
Fishguard (, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lowe ...
in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
, Wales, in 1996. The hoard is now in
National Museum Wales
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
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* National, Maryland, ce ...
. The treasure consisted of 33 gold coins, 467 silver coins and a gold ring.
[ This was the first ]English Civil War
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
hoard found in Pembrokeshire.[
]
Local history
This mansion had been the scene where the invasion of the French was first reported to Colonel Thomas Knox who was at a dance there on 23 February 1797. Knox, who had been appointed by his father William Knox went into a strategic withdrawal to Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest ( , ; ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a Community (Wales), community consisting of 12,042 people, making it the secon ...
which is in land. The retreat of the ''Fishguard Fencibles'' was halted by Lord Cawdor who persuaded Knox to advance. The ''Fencibles'' who were local volunteers saw off the force of 1200 French convicts. It was reported the local population assisted in seeing off the "last invasion of British soil". The BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reported that there was a local story that the guests at the dance hid their valuables and that when a hoard was discovered it was thought initially to have confirmed the tale.Civil War coin hoard 'goes home'
BBC, 17 August 2007, accessed July 2010
The hoard
The hoard can be dated from the date of the last coin that was included in the hoard and this came from 1647 or 1648. This date is at the end of English Civil War and these troubles are the probable reason for the hoard being deposited. There are over 200 hoards that date from the time of the civil war. This was the first civil war hoard found in Pembrokeshire.[ These goods were hidden by an outbuilding of the Tregwynt Mansion. They were discovered in 1996 as a result of building work resulting from the construction of a tennis court. Because a few coins had been found, the ground was searched by a metal detector and Roy Lewis discovered many more coins. By the end, a JCB digger was involved and in addition to the coins they also found lead sheeting which is thought to have covered the hoard and a ring with a motto inside it. The inscription reads ''"Better death than false of faith"'' (spelling updated).][Tregwynt Hoard]
Museum of Wales, retrieved July 2010
The hoard was probably hidden at the time that Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
came to Pembrokeshire to settle the local Royalists who were in rebellion. The value at the time was over 50 pounds and this would have been over four years wages for an average soldier. The money may have been saved by Llewellin Harries who lived at the mansion at the time with his twelve children.[
]
Artefacts
The treasure consisted of 33 gold coins, 467 silver coins and a gold Posie ring.James VI of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
*A Charles I of England
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649.
Charles was born ...
one pound gold coin
*A Charles I silver half-crown struck at an emergency mint in Shrewsbury in 1642[
]
See also
* List of hoards in Britain
The list of hoards in Britain comprises significant archaeological hoards of coins, jewellery, precious and scrap metal objects and other valuable items discovered in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It includes both hoards that were ...
Notes
{{reflist
Collection of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
Treasure troves in Wales
1996 archaeological discoveries
1996 in Wales