A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE 



a regular layer of black soil, which appeared to be the natural level of the ground [Leic. Arch, 

 Sac. ii, 230, 1863 ; post, 'Ancient Earthworks.'] A hoard of coins is said to have been found 

 at Kibworth, but there is no recorded description of it, and it was removed from the county 

 [Assoc. Arch. Sue. ii, 310]. An inscribed stone is said to have been found here, but has been 

 since lost [Reynolds, Itin. Brit. 448; Arch. Journ. xxxiv, 146]. In 1723 a gold coin of 

 Julian (A.D. 355-62), found at Kibworth, not in the barrow, was exhibited to the Society 

 of Antiquaries [MS. Min. Soc. Antiq. i, 12 ; O.S. xlv, 6]. 



KNAPTOFT. A Roman vase was found in a gravel pit at Knaptoft [Nichols, Hist. Leic. 

 i, pt. ii, 136], 



LEICESTER. See separate account. 



LOUGHBOROUGH. In the part of Charnwood Forest which now forms the little estate of Mount 

 St. Bernard, near Loughborough, was found in 1840 a Roman urn containing a great number 

 of coins. It was turned out of the ground and broken by the plough, at a depth of from 

 loin, to 1 2 in. from the surface. The land had never been previously cultivated, as far as is 

 known. The urn measured 22 in. in circumference, and weighed I2lb. The coins dated 

 from circa A.D. 254 to circa A.D. 273 : Gallienus (A.D. 253-68), four coins, with different 

 reverses ; Postumus (A.D. 258-68), eleven coins, seven different reverses ; Claudius Gothicus, 

 (A.D. 268-70), four coins, three different reverses ; Victorinus (A.D. 265-7), seven coins, five 

 different reverses ; Tetricus (A.D. 268-73), fifteen coins, seven or eight different reverses. 

 Specimens also of the following other emperors' coins are said to have been among 

 them : Salonina (A.D. 254-8) ; Saloninus (A.D. 254-8) ; Victorinus (A.D. 265-7) 5 Marius 

 (A.D. 267) ; Tetricus, junr. (A.D. 268-73) ; Quintillus (A.D. 279) ; Aurelianus (A.D. 

 270-5) ; Probus (A.D. 276-82) ; but a particular exam'nation was made only of the 

 coins previously mentioned \Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc. (Ser. i), vii, 1-5 ; Num. Chron. 

 iii, 674]. Some upper and lower stones of querns found here are in the Leicester Museum 

 [Rep. Mus. Com.], 



LUTTERWORTH. At this place, which is situated near the Watling Street, and not far from High 

 Cross, quantities of Roman coins have been discovered at different times. In 1725 Stukeley 

 saw a number, found between Bensford Bridge and Lutterworth, dating from Vespasian 

 (A.D. 70-9) to Hadrian (A.D. 117-38), 'all well cut, indicating that they were hidden early' 

 [Nichols, Hiit. Leic. i, 4 ; Stukeley, Itin. Cur. i, 112]. In 1869 a large hoard of coins was 

 found, of which only 254 came under examination. The numbers of each type were as 

 follows: Vitius Volusianus (A.D. 2514), one coin ; Valerianus (A.D. 253-60), three coins; 

 Gallienus (A.D. 253-68), three coins ; Salonina (A.D. 254-8), one coin ; Saloninus (A.D. 253-9), 

 one coin ; Postumus (A.D. 258-68), thirty-seven coins ; Victorinus (A.D. 265-7), one hundred 

 and thirty coins ; Marius (A.D. 267), one coin ; Tetricus, senr. (A.D. 268-73), one co ' n 5 

 Tetricus, junr. (A.D. 268-73), three coins ; Claudius Gothicus (A.D. 268-70), thirty-three 

 coins ; Quintillus (A.D. 279), seven coins ; total, two hundred and fifty-four. There is reason 

 to suppose that more than these were discovered [Assoc. Arch. Soc. xi, 2OO ; Leic. Arch. Soc. iv, 

 36 ; Num. Chron. (new ser.), xi, 169, 181]. In the Lutterworth Museum are a sword, 

 said to be Roman, dug up in Watling Street Road, and some of the coins mentioned above 

 [Leic. Arch. Soc. ii, 66]. 



MARKET BOSWORTH (13 miles west from Leicester). In 1871 Roman coins were found here, but 

 were unfortunately dispersed before they could be examined. In 1890, on the site of Bosworth 

 House, 2 ft. 6 in. below the surface, a spearhead and a gold coin were discovered [Leic. Arch. 

 Soc. iv, 197 ; ix, 243]. 



MARKET HARBOROUGH. Until the site was recently built over the remains of a camp were visible 

 in a field to the east of the town, sloping upwards from the River Welland. Roman pottery 

 and other relics were found there [post 'Ancient Earthworks']. In 1873 what was thought 

 to be a cemetery used by both Romans and Saxons was discovered, indicating the probable 

 existence of a villa near it. A large collection of pottery and glass, several fibulae of 

 different shapes, and an iron pot-hook were preserved. Some of them are in the Market 

 Harborough Museum [Pub. Camb. Antiq. Soc. viii, 133 ; Arch. Journ. xxxi, 86; Assoc. Arch. 

 Soc. viii, 386-401 ; Leic. Arch. Soc. iii, 15369]. 



MEDBOURNE. A tesselated pavement was found in 1721, in a square entrenchment on high ground 

 near a stream, about ^ mile north-west from the village, to the north of the Gartree Road (or 

 Via Devana), which passes through the parish on its way from Cottingham to Leicester [MS. 

 Min. Soc. Antiq. 1721]. The pavement, which probably formed part of a villa, was re- 

 opened in 1793, and in 1877 was again disclosed, and the tesserae removed to the South 

 Kensington Museum (plate VII) [Nichols, Hist. Leic. ii, 717; Camden, Brit, ii, 301 (ed. Gough, 

 1806); Stukeley, Itin. Cur. f, 109 ; Proc. Soc. Antiq. (Ser. 2), vii, 315 ; Leic. Arch. Soc. i, 209; 

 v, 70, 170]. It measured 42 ft. by 22 ft., and was laid due north and south, at a depth of 



214 



