Mystery of Roman hoard revealed by Newcastle experts

Newcastle University ^ | January 12, 2024 | Press Office

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Although the Knaresborough Hoard was discovered around 1864, there has never been any detailed analysis of the items undertaken. Nor were the circumstances surrounding its discovery fully understood...

Most of the 30 items, which are now on display in the Yorkshire Museum in York, were donated to the museum in 1864 by Thomas Gott, an ironmonger who was also a Town Councillor and lived in Knaresborough. However, he was reluctant to name where they had been found or who owned the land.

The research by Jessica, and colleagues at Newcastle University, suggests that the hoard was probably discovered in a boggy area near Farnham, in the Vale of Mowbray, approximately two miles north of Knaresborough. During the Roman period, two important Roman roads ran through the Vale: Cade's Road, which ran north-south on the eastern side, and Dere Street to the west, which was a significant route providing a connection to York and Hadrian's Wall. Because of these connections, there were a number of wealthy Roman villas in the area and it is thought that the items in the collection may have come from one of these, or an affluent townhouse or settlement close by...

During their investigations, the research team also found evidence that there were originally more items in the hoard when discovered, but many had been mistakenly melted down in Gott's foundry.

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The Knaresborough Hoard.

image courtesy of the Yorkshire Museum

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We stayed there.