Paper -a:
Archaeological finds recorded through the Portable Antiquities Scheme are beginning to challenge traditional perspectives on aspects of material culture and their place and meanings in the past. This paper explores some of the social and economic aspects of medieval life in England and Wales through examining the coin finds (1066-1544) recorded with the Scheme. Using a dataset of over 18,000 coins the paper will look touch on monetisation and the spread of the use of money; the role of imported coins; and the re-use of coins, both in terms of their adaptation and mutilation or their deposition in 'special' places.
Paper -b:
Money and possessions are common subjects in medieval magic: charms survive for protection from thieves and the return of lost or stolen goods; the services of cunning folk included treasure hunting, theft detection, and the retrieval of goods; and ritual magic included operations to find treasure. This paper will discuss the monetary charms in Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole MS 1435. Amongst a large number of charms and recipes, the anonymous compiler of Ashmole 1435 included charms to detect thieves and to always have money in one's purse - goals that were usually reserved for ritual magic or cunning folk. This paper will examine the unique approach to monetary magic in this manuscript and suggest how these charms might broaden our understanding of the roles of magic in late medieval life.
Paper -c:
My paper is primarily concerned with coin brooches of the 13th century. The groat issued in the reign of Edward I, in the late 13th century, has long been known to numismatists as a coin that has survived in brooch form; usually gilt and with the cross side displayed. Pennies and jettons were also turned into brooches. Converted foreign gros coins of the period occur in England, as do coins turned into annular brooches. Metal detector finds have increased the numbers extant of these various coin brooches. Consequently an important aid to the study of coin brooches is the Portable Antiquities Scheme Database.
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