Medieval Coin Hoard Unearthed in Scotland

MIDLOTHIAN, SCOTLAND—The Edinburgh Evening News reports that amateur historian and metal detectorist Jarosław Musialkowski discovered a cache of 200 silver coins at a possible medieval military camp in Scotland’s east-central Lowlands. The site is associated with the First War of Scottish Independence and the Battle of Roslin, in which 8,000 Scottish troops, led by John Comyn, killed more than 20,000 invading English soldiers under the command of John Segrave in A.D. 1303. Many of the coins bear an image of the English king Edward I, who ruled from 1272 to 1307, while others are thought to have been minted in Ireland. Archaeologists also recovered pottery and other artifacts from the area where the coins were found. Musialkowski thinks the coins may have been intended as payment for mercenaries who fought in the battle. Researchers from the National Museum of Scotland are now examining the coins. To read about a coin recovered from the battlefield of a later skirmish in the War of Scottish Independence, go to "Bannockburn Booty."