District Museum

Each month our homepage features objects from the Museum's collection.

Pictured is the Petworth Hoard. The Hoard is made up of 103 Roman coins found in Petworth and recently purchased by Chichester District Museum.

The 103 coins equate to a third of a year's wages for a Roman soldier, and could indicate that wealthy people were living in the Petworth area in Roman times. The latest coin, and the sole example in the hoard of the design, depicts Emperor Hadrian on his return to Italy from the second Jewish Rebellion which lasted from 132-136AD.

The Petworth Hoard will aid both understanding of Emperor Hadrian's British connection and his campaigns in Europe as well as develop knowledge of the practice of hoarding valuable items.

The Hoard makes a significant contribution to the early history of the District and the civil parish of Petworth. Although mentioned in the Doomsday book, little is known about the early history of this town and evidence of Roman activity in Petworth is negligible.

The hoard was discovered in 2006 on a Petworth farm. After being reported to the Finds Liaison Officer, the hoard was subsequently declared Treasure under the Treasure Act. The Treasure Act is a law that stipulates what is considered to be treasure. The coins are referred to as Treasure as they were either deliberately hidden, were the contents of purses that may been dropped or lost or were votive or ritual deposits. Finders of Treasure are legally obliged to report finds within 14 days of their discovery, or within 14 days of realising it might be treasure. Failure to declare finds of treasure may lead to prosecution, resulting in a fine or custodial sentence.

As Treasure items, the coins had to be purchased from the Crown. The Museum was grateful to receive generous funding from both the Victoria and Albert Purchase Grant Fund and the Headley Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts.

As the Petworth Hoard was found within the Chichester District Council administrative area the Hoard will become a permanent part of the District Museum's archaeology collection.

The hoard will go some way to redress the balance of the Museum's collection and meet one of the District Museum's long term objectives; to tell not just the story of the City of Chichester, but to tell the story of the District as a whole.

The Petworth Hoard and associated pottery is now on display at Chichester District Museum.