Money, economy and society in Late Saxon England: The Lenborough Hoard and the monetary impact of Anglo-Danish rule

This thesis provides the primary analysis, interpretation, and catalogue of the Lenborough Hoard. The Hoard is the largest of its type presented for study, which ensures the results will enhance our knowledge of early eleventh-century coinage. It contains the largest parcel of coins yet found in Britain for two kings, Æthelred II (978-1016) and Cnut (1016-35), who reigned either side of the Danish conquest of England in 1013-16. These discreet parcels relate to the latter half of each king's reign, with an unusual chronological gap. They are formed of 982 mixed types of Æthelred II and 4,263 Short Cross coins, the last type issued by Cnut, which has not yet been subject to systematic study; therefore, this thesis presents a foundational contribution to any future study of Cnut’s English coinage.

The Hoard contains four Hiberno-Scandinavian coins, at least eight Anglo-Scandinavian imitations and around one hundred ‘irregular’ coins, raising questions about coin circulation within England at this time. A large proportion have also been modified by bending and pecking, which, in tandem with the irregular components, forces a consideration of the journey these coins had made before deposition within the Hoard.

The Lenborough Hoard was analysed alongside a larger comparative dataset of 38,455 contemporary English coins from across Britain, Scandinavia, and the Baltic. Analysis suggests that Cnut’s coins in the Hoard were collected c.1032-3, and deposited just before, or after, Cnut’s death in November 1035. The combined data were used to re-evaluate the production and circulation of the coinage of both kings, including assessing the value of non-domestic deposits to their interpretation. The resulting data demonstrates that the Hoard contains transformative coin data and reveals that Cnut probably used his position within Europe to enhance England’s economy, thus demonstrating the positive economic impact of Anglo-Danish rule.