THE Dodderhill hoard contains 66 coins dating to the medieval period.

The hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist on farmland near Droitwich and is now on display at Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

The coins were struck in the name of King Henry III.

Henry reigned from AD 1216-1272 and was just nine years of age when he came to the throne.

The coins are of the voided long-cross type, describing the form of the cross found on the reverse.

The obverse depicts the crowned king within a circle of pellets.

Later types depict the king holding a sceptre.

This coin type was also minted in the reign of Henry’s son Edward I until he replaced the voided long-cross type with a long-cross penny in AD 1279.

Alongside whole pennies, this hoard also contains cut halfpennies and cut farthings.

The smaller denominations were made by cutting pennies in half or quarters to create the small change required.

This practice was only meant to take place in the official mints where the coins were struck.

There were 20 English mints active during this period and examples from the Dodderhill hoard were minted in London, Oxford, Hereford, Canterbury, Winchester, Bury St Edmunds and Lincoln with one Irish coin minted in Dublin.

English pennies were popular on the continent where local imitations were made, many of which were imported into the English currency.

This hoard contains a single coin issued by the Dukes of Brabant who ruled across the present-day countries of Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Brabant coin present is harder to date accurately, however, it is thought to date to the mid-1270s.

Based on the dates of the other coins and the Brabant coin, it is thought that the hoard was deposited sometime between AD 1270-1275.

Like so many of these coin hoards, unfortunately we do not know why it was originally deposited and subsequently never recovered.

However, hoarding is more commonplace in times of unrest.

See these coins on display at Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

Plan your summer day out at hartleburycastle.com.