BEHIND THE DIG : RETURN TO THE VILLAGE FETE FIELD
Decimalisation, Zoos and an Unexpected Coronation.
Only one month to go before the digging season kicks itself into gear again and the rape seed crop evacuates the arable land. But until then we find ourselves investigating once more into long forgotten pasture fields and quiet corners of our permission that get rather neglected in the busy agricultural calendar of harvest season.
We hit the big time last week uncovering a stunning Roman Follis of Constantius I in such a field and decided we would be fools to not start back in the same spot tracing various rumours and fantasies of Roman finds yet to be uncovered. Almost immediately a strong 18 - 20 VDI had our blood pumping as a large convex copper alloy disc emerges from the soil enveloped into a tightly wrapped clod. With the minds set on Roman, ‘Umbonate Brooch’ was the first hopeful thought swirling around, yet as more and more dirt crumbled and peeled away a rather unusual openwork shape of a Copper Alloy Mount appeared, most likely decoration lost from a horse harness and dating to around 1600 - 1800 AD. Not quite that Roman we were after.
We would be fools to not start back in the same spot tracing various rumours and fantasies of Roman finds yet to be uncovered.
Copper Alloy Mount.
And so kicks off a strong equestrian theme within the digging day as the next couple of finds, a double horseshoe moment, start to royally weigh Ellie’s bag down. Horse related finds are quite common to appear in the metal detectorists finds pod (and bag) as these large animals have played such an important role throughout a large period of history. First used by civilisations that go back as far as the early Bronze Age for their muscle and pulling power, transport and even to help create a military advantage mounting units on horseback, horses have been worked hard throughout most of their historic lives meaning humans had to create ways of looking after and taking care of their steed. They developed horseshoes to protect their hooves, bridles and saddles to allow them to be ridden with ease and of course all of the necessary elaborate decoration for the showcasing of their prized animal.
With little in the way of Roman luck and increasingly trickier and more distant signals on the Minelab Equinox 800 the decision was made at around 4:45 pm to jump ship and head over to one of the smallest corners of our permission and one that we have really been enjoying getting acquainted with lately. The Village Fete Field
For us diggers the Village Fete Field has been bringing us just as much fun and joy as all of its previous visitors attending various festivities and village gatherings. Signals galore, the ground is practically alive with metal ready to reveal the lost belongings and coinage that tell the tale of classic village days gone by. Naturally our very first signal just had to be a Stainless Steel Butter Knife. Lost during a buttering of a scone perhaps or the cutting of a Coronation Cake?
Naturally our very first signal just had to be a Stainless Steel Butter Knife. Lost during a buttering of a scone perhaps or the cutting of a Coronation Cake?
The main era of finds that appear from this busy field is pre and post war Britain revealing the story of how World War shaped a rural village community through the change in attitude towards its childrens toys and the content of metal within its coinage. But another large change that it reveals for the community is the story of Decimalisation, possibly the largest change that has ever occurred to the British coinage system.
The very first lost coins to be uncovered are actually a coin spill trio, a 1971 Elizabeth II Two Pence, a 1966 Elizabeth II Sixpence and a 1944 George VI Penny all nestled together as one loss in the earth. Together these three coins begin to show the story of decimalisation as we have two separate currencies all intermingled and operating at the same period in time. Prior to decimalisation Britain relied on an antiquated coinage system of pounds, shilling and pence; twelve pennies made a shilling and twenty shillings made a pound. This system with its units of twelve dates back to the Roman era where a pound of silver would be divided into 240 pence, or denarius, but it was complicated and not naturally suited for easy workings out. As a member of Parliament pointed out in 1847.
“Every man who looks at his ten fingers, saw an argument of its use, and evidence of its practicability.” - Sir John Bowring 1847
So came about a new era, a decimal era based upon simple units of 10. But this change to the currency was a massive undertaking and required years of preparations, six billion new coins and a two year long public information campaign.The original new 5p and 10p entered circulation early in 1968 and were designed to correspond to exactly the same size and value as the shillings and florins that they were replacing to help ease the public into the changeover.
Decimal Day was the 15th February 1971 and for a period after as shown by our coin spill discovery the old currency and the new currency ran alongside each other with many items in shops displaying their prices in both currencies. People could pay for things in pounds, shilling and pence and receive the new decimal money as change. It was a confusing world of two currencies, with the change in people's pockets ever evolving and the old money slowly filtering out.
But this change to the currency was a massive undertaking and required years of preparations, six billion new coins and a two year long public information campaign.
Coronation medal, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The humble British penny is possibly the greatest survivor of British currency simply evolving throughout time to exist in the different currencies of vastly different eras. From Roman Britain, Anglo Saxon England to the Norman Conquest, it's even survived decimalisation and can still be found in pockets today, albeit in a slightly different form and value for every new iteration. From silver to copper to bronze to nickel it is the lovely bronze form that we uncovered in our next coin spill, with three huge bronze pennies all from the reign of George VI dating from 1938, 1948 and 1949.
George VI is known as the unexpected King after his brother, the heir, Edward VIII’s time changing abdication. Thrown into the public eye as monarch he ruled during a difficult period of British History. After the turbulence created by his brothers abdication and the ever worsening political tensions that were heading towards a second World War George VI aimed to bring a sense of reassurance and solidarity to the British Public choosing his monarch name of ‘George’ to show the continuity and his aim continue the legacy of the reign left by his father George V. He stood alongside the public during difficult periods of World War refusing to leave London and symbolically standing alongside the people during the Blitz even after Buckingham Palace itself was bombed. Needless to say he was a very popular King and left a meaningful legacy after his early death at just aged 56 with the young Queen Elizabeth II taking the throne.
In a stroke of digging magic that so often happens out on the field the next find to come out of this small pasture reveals more of the story of George VI as we unearth a Coronation Medal bearing the busts of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth having being issued as an important memento during their coronation and ascent to the British Throne. Medals rather interestingly have actually been struck to commemorate the coronation of every British Monarch since King Edward VI in 1547 and can be found made out of a variety of metals from silver and gold to more unofficially produced medals of lead and pewter. The medals for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had to rather hastily be made after the unexpected abdication of Edward VIII with the Coronation still being held on the same planned date. An important royal memento the discovery of this Coronation medal reflects the importance of the monarchy at this period in history that is so deeply intertwined with the Fete Field, this period of turbulent World Wars, changing public tastes and a need for a Monarch who can relate and bring them through these difficult times.
He stood alongside the public during difficult periods of World War refusing to leave London and symbolically standing alongside the people during the Blitz even after Buckingham Palace itself was bombed.
With public attitudes shifting away from militaristic and violent attitudes our next couple of discoveries reflect these changing times and how they impacted domestic and village life. In our previous dig we were unearthing lead toy soldiers and discussed how they fell out of fashion after the horrors of the World Wars and were replaced by lines that represented a more peaceful ideal of civilian life such as farming and zooscapes. So it only made sense that in this visit we discover one of these such lines with a lovely toy lead seal a perfect example of the zoo line that was produced by the same company who manufactured our headless toy soldier, Britains, the main manufacturer who revolutionised the British Toy Industry with the introduction of hollow casting.
Dating from 1923 - 1930 this lead seal was produced between wars and would have been part of a wide range of zoological animals that consisted of painted lead zoo animals, visitors, zoo staff, animal enclosures, fencing and even scenery. The range was a huge success and British attitudes moved further and further away from the ideal of war, with young men conscripted off to fight in their tens of thousands the war did not need to live on in the games of their children.
It wasn’t just the imaginary games between children that reflected a shift in attitudes either as many aspects of village life would be adjusted due to the effect of wars upon the community. One such game whose attitudes has been changing from long before the World Wars is the village game of Cock Shy. Originally this game would have been a rather barbaric example of the community getting together and throwing rocks at a live, tethered, bird with the aim of killing it for victory and the chance to take said dead bird home for dinner on the last day when meat could be eaten before Lent. Needless to say and rather thankfully the game of Cock Shy evolved and by the 18th Century it had become a popular and more tame village game where stones would be thrown at lead alloy effigies of birds instead of the real thing. These effigies would commonly have been made to represent Cockerels but a different type did exist, Owls. It is one of these rather charming owls that we unearthed from the Village Fete Field lost to the earth after many a village game of Cock Shy.
With the day starting to grow long and the hazy evening sun setting in, there was just one last treat waiting for us in the history rich soil of the Village Fete Field, and that was a 1921 George V Shilling. Some silver to end the day. Well 50% Sterling at least we can’t ask for too much, Britain did have a war debt to repay back to America after all.
Much like all of our discoveries from this field that is absolutely rooted into the body of the village community, the shilling is a coin that has developed quite the emotional attachment to the British Public and its Communities. The shilling regularly appears in literature, is placed under ships masts as a talisman for good luck, used as a symbol called the King's Shilling to confirm military recruitment and has even developed a friendly nickname of ‘bob’. It was one of the most popular coins of its time and that's even reflected in their mintage with more shillings struck during the 19th Century than any other denomination. But just what is the story of ours, was it merely change slipped from a hole in someone's pocket or a lost village prize perhaps, a lucky shilling for the victorious player of Cock Shy?
