Cheapside Hoard

The latest special exhibition at the British Museum - the Cheapside Hoard - which fr0m the publicity seemed well worth going to see.   And I was not disappointed!

The hoard was discovered by some workmen in 1912, buried in a cellar under a house in Cheapside, where it had lain undisturbed since the mid 17th century.    Although some items had been displayed previously, this was the first time that the entire collection had been put on display, and such is the value of the exhibits, everyone had to leave all bags and coats in a locker in the cloakroom - for which one had to pay a non-refundable fee of £1.

The hoard itself consists of hundreds of items, beautifully crafted and all very expensive - whoever owned it must have been a very wealthy man (or woman) indeed.   But no evidence has ever emerged as to who buried this huge collection of jewellery and other precious items, and no-one has ever come forward to lay a claim to it.    Who owned the house when it was buried is no longer known - but even that may not have been any use in establishing ownership, as it could well have been buried by someone who did not live there.   Also, there is no indication of the exact date, except for an inscription on one item, that shows it was later, if I remember correctly, than 1640.

But those were troublesome times, with the Civil War engaging large numbers of people, general unrest, and much disruption to ordinary life.   A short film puts forward a possible suggesting scenario for their burying in the cellar.    A wealthy man buried all the family treasure in the cellar of a neighbouring house, but for security reasons does not tell anyone of its whereabouts.   His wife contacts him to find out where the treasure is, as she is destitute; he sends a message that there is no need to give her details, as he is on his way home.   But he dies before arrival, so his widow is left destitute, with not a clue as to where her  husband had hidden the jewellery.    Fiction, but possibly very near the truth - if anyone had  had any inkling as to the size of the treasure and that it was hidden in a cellar in Cheapside, they would certainly have attempted to find it.

As it is, it is we who today have the pleasure of being able to see and admire the exquisite workmanship, for which the Museum kindly provides magnifying glasses - it is impossible to appreciate the degree of craftsmanship involved in many of the pieces with the naked eye.

The Cheapside Hoard is well worth a visit - but one needs to leave plenty of time.   There is just so much to see one needs a whole afternoon rather than just an hour or so.