Mr. J. Hardy on Silver Coins found at Blackburn. 261 



the second ANGL'D; and the third N S H Y B\ On the 

 reverse, encircling the cross and balls, is the legend: C IV I T A S 

 D V B L I N I E. The only remaining coin is of Edward as 

 Duke of Guienne. On the obverse is a half front face, of a more 

 chivalrous bearing than the heavy German countenances on 

 several of the English pieces : Ins. +EDWARD REX 

 A N G L. On the reverse is a cross, with a minute trefoil at 

 the termination of each arm ; a coronet in each of the four com- 

 partments : Ins. D V X AQVITANIE. 



It is nowise remarkable to discover English coins in this part 

 of Scotland, for in the time of Edward I. it was entirely subject 

 to England. From the diversity and nature of the coins, however, 

 in this collection, it is obvious that the party to whom they be- 

 longed must have had dealings with some of the armies, assembled 

 from all parts of his extensive dominions, which Edward or some 

 of his captains conducted into the North, to crush the remains 

 of Scottish patriotism. In the army that fought the battle of 

 Falkirk in 1298, there were both Irish and Gascons present ; 

 and at that period a party of Gascons garrisoned Berwick. Per- 

 haps this was the period of acquisition ; but we cannot so satis- 

 factorily conjecture, at what particular exigency in that distracted 

 age, such a large amount of wealth was abandoned. Another 

 instance of a considerable number of coins of the same era being 

 found in the district, occurred a few years ago near Cairncross. 

 Three of these that I examined, correspond with the London 

 type in the present collection. The concealment of such large 

 sums of money, of the same character, at the two places, points 

 out some crisis in the course of national events, which the 

 owners had particular cause to dread ; and this may have been 

 the successes of the Scots in the time of Bruce, and the return 

 of the rightful owners to the lands whence they or their fathers 

 had been disinherited. In the Coldingham records, as published 

 by the Surtees Society, there is preserved a roll, which supplies 

 the information, that several forfeitures took place in the east of 

 Berwickshire in 1298, in consequence of the proprietors taking 

 the Scottish side at Falkirk. The vacancies thus made would 

 most likely be occupied by Englishmen, or " Scoti Anglicati," 

 as Fordun calls the renegades ; whose only safety, when the 

 English interests received a fatal blow, would be a precipitate 

 retreat across the Borders. 



