Currency shows profile of Hiberno-Norse king Sitric, who was sent packing by Brian Boru
The stash of three dozen partial and whole silver coins includes some bearing the profile of Sitric, the Hiberno-Norse king who ruled Dublin from 989 to 1036.
After being caught up in the Leinster Revolt of 999, he was forced into submission by Brian Boru, the King of Munster, who was credited with ending the Viking invasions of Ireland.
Following an unusually long reign, Sitric abdicated his throne, made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1028 and went on to become involved with the foundation of Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral.
The Vikings used the Isle of Man as a base, first for trade and later as a settlement
He is not to be confused with another Sitric, also a Viking, who reigned over Dublin from 917 to 920 and fought with native Irish kings in the Battle of Áth Cliath in 919.
The coins on the Isle of Man were found by metal-detectorists John Crowe and David O’Hare between January and April.
Allison Fox, the curator of archaeology for Manx National Heritage, said: “This is a wonderful find which helps further our understanding of the complex Viking Age economy in the Isle of Man, where more Viking Age silver has been discovered per square kilometre than in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.”
The Vikings used the Isle of Man as a base between Ireland and England, first for trade and later as a settlement.
Metal detectorists David O’Hare and John Crowe with Manx National Heritage curator for archaeology Allison Fox. Photo: Manx National Heritage
This was the second discovery made on the island this year to officially be deemed treasure under the Treasure Act of 2017, meaning loss of the coins “would be a misfortune” due to their close connection to Manx history.
Over the summer, the hoard was studied by Dr Kristin Bornholdt Collins, a New Hampshire-based researcher who is the world’s leading expert in Viking-age coins from the region.
“This important hoard was probably assembled in two or more stages, with the earlier English and Irish coins deposited together in the first instance and the coins dating to Edward the Confessor added later,” she said.
This latest one might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes and coins
The majority of the coins found were minted during the reign of Edward the Confessor, with mints from York, London, Lincoln, Cambridge, Hastings, Ipswich and Exeter.
Edward was one of the last Anglo-Saxons to rule over England.
“Like the slightly earlier and larger Northern and Glenfaba hoards, this latest one might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes and coins, perhaps of different nationalities, such as when you prepare to travel overseas,” Dr Bornholdt Collins said.
“It shows the variety of currencies available to an Irish Sea trader or inhabitants of Man in this period. The hoards provide a rare chance to study the contents side by side, down to the detail of the dies used to strike the coins.”
