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A Little Barrel of Ducatoons - The Civil War Coinage of Yorkshire.

"William Caygill, a keen metal detecting enthusiast, will never forget the day in June 1993 when, believing that he had discovered nothing more than a piece of lead, he suddenly found himself faced with a jingling stream of silver". His spade had struck a pot filled with silver coins, and over the next few days, he was to uncover a further two similar jars. In all he unearthed well over 5000 coins: coins which had not seen the light of day for almost  350 years." 

On 2 July 1644 the armies of the king and parliament met at Marston Moor, close to the city of York, and there fought the savage battle which ultimately sealed the fate of Charles I. The Civil Wars have left a rich numismatic legacy in Yorkshire, including a unique range of coins struck not only at the king's mint in York but also by the besieged garrisons of Scarborough and Pontefract. Hoard finds, the discoveries of archaeologists and metal detectorists, and the evidence of contemporary writers further add to our knowledge of those troubled times, and it is the intention of this short work to highlight what we know of the coinage of the period, and to place that information in a regional context.

Numerous individuals have contributed to this project, and the authors would particularly like to express their gratitude to William Caygill, Jim Halliday, Brian Hayton, Sarah Jennings, Pam Judkins, Helen Patching, Elizabeth Shaw, Pamela Walsh and Fiona Young. Much invaluable information has also been supplied by the members of the York and District Metal Detecting Club. The authors are also grateful to the the Trustees of the British Museum for granting them permission to reproduce photographs of the unique half-pound die of Charles I.

All of the coins illustrated are reproduced at actual size and, with the exception of a small number of pieces from the recently-discovered Middleham hoard, they are to be found in the collection of the Yorkshire Museum.

£4.99 + £1.25 p&p U. K. (Ref: b0224)