Relhan Collection : 213 Horningsea church. Coins found in piscina at restoration of church, August 1847

Relhan, Richard, 1782-1844

Relhan Collection

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>1847</p><p>TF Lee (Queens’ College)</p><p>The coins are identified (Martin Allen) as 1. Henry III Long Cross penny; 2. Edward I Irish halfpenny, Waterford; 3. Edward I-III (?)penny; 4. Henry III Long Cross cut halfpenny; 5. Henry III Long Cross cut farthing; 6-10. Edward-III (?)pennies. This gives a range from later C13 to at least 1377. The chancel retains three C13 piscinae in its S wall, one of them (restored) at the E end, two others, probably marking the position of altars, near the E end of the nave. The chancel was renovated 1847–1850, and it is likely that the restored piscina was the site of this discovery. Giving money, however humbly, was important in medieval Christianity. Coins, mostly pennies with a few halfpennies and farthings from poorer pilgrims, were a common gift, often referred to in saints’ lives and appropriate, as these silver coins often had a cross on the reverse. They were generally laid on altars or offered in gaps in the stonework of shrines. However, Horningsea church was not known as an attraction for pilgrims, and the piscina seems an odd place for deposition.</p><p>.</p><p>Allen 2018</p></p>