A recent discovery of Viking-era silver coins on the Isle of Man has been declared a treasure following an inquest. The find, made by John Crowe and David O’Hare, consists of 36 coins that were uncovered between January and April using a metal detector in a field. Dating from between 1000 and 1065, most of the coins were minted during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), while the rest were issued under Aethelred II (978-1016) and Canute (1016-1035). The coins range in diameter from 17 to 20.5 millimeters, and some show test cuts, indicating they were checked for quality by merchants. The discovery has been studied by New Hampshire-based historian Kristin Bornholdt Collins.
The Isle of Man has been the site of numerous Viking silver hoards, and this latest find is no exception. Alison Fox, the Curator of Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, described the hoard as being akin to a “good-sized savings account.” She clarified that these coins would have functioned like a bank account, with money being added or withdrawn over time.
Typically, coins found on the Isle of Man are of Irish or English origin, as the island served as a financial hub during the Viking Age, with its central location on the Viking sailing route between Scandinavia and Ireland. The island provided agriculture and harbors, and the Vikings settled there by 820, having arrived in 798. The Vikings established the Tynwald (Old Norse for open assembly) in 800, which later evolved into the world’s oldest functioning parliament. The Isle of Man was eventually handed over to Alexander III of Scotland in 1265, marking the end of Viking rule.
Historical records suggest that Norse trade extended as far as Russia and the Islamic world. Archaeological evidence from burial sites and settlements confirms Viking occupation on the Isle of Man. According to Fox, this most recent discovery highlights the variety of currencies used by traders and inhabitants of the island during this period. She also noted that the find adds to the understanding of the Viking Age, particularly when compared to other hoards such as the Northern and Glenfaba hoards, which date from a similar era.
Fox pointed out that more Viking Age silver has been discovered per square kilometer on the Isle of Man than in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales combined. In addition to this latest discovery, six major Viking Age hoards have been found on the island. Notable finds include the 1870 Ballacamaish Hoard, which contained a silver armlet, neck rings, and a finger ring; the 1894 Ballaquayle Hoard, which included Anglo-Saxon silver coins and various jewelry; the 2003 Glenfaba Hoard, which comprised 464 coins and 25 ingots; and the 2016 Garff Hoard, which contained 14 10th-century silver arm rings.
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Two significant hoards were also discovered in 2021. The first, found in February, dates to the mid-10th century and consists of a gold arm ring, silver brooches, and other jewelry. The second, the Northern Hoard, discovered in July, includes 87 silver coins from England, the Isle of Man, and Germany, as well as early 11th-century hack silver. The coins in the Northern Hoard feature the names of Norse King of Dublin Sihtric Silkbeard (c. 989–1036), Canute, Aethelred II, and Holy Roman Emperor Otto I.
Kristin Bornholdt Collins, who studied the Northern Hoard, observed that the hack silver, which was part of the current find as well, could be seen as a currency that transcended borders and political allegiances. She compared it to modern-day cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. Bornholdt-Collins noted that this flexible, borderless form of currency would have been popular in a cosmopolitan trading center like the Isle of Man, even as minted silver became more common in Northern Europe during the 11th century.