AlexB
Registered User
Registered: January 2006
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 560
users gallery
|
Struck c.858-62/4AD England, Kent, Canterbury mint. AR Penny 1.35g Portrait/Inscribed Cross type. Obv Draped bust of Aethelberht right, nimbus around head(?); around '+AEĐELBEARHT REX'; Rev cross inscribed with 'HEREFRETH MONETA' (moneyer Herefreth). N.620; S.1053. Of the 53 coins of all types recorded by SCBI/EMC for this King, 49 were of this type, of which 39 were minted at Canterbury and 1 was of this moneyer. This coin is therefore the second of any type for Herefreth at Canterbury. However, 12 other coins of the name Herefreth are recorded. 9 are from the the reign of Alfred the Great whom ruled shortly after and were struck at London, Canterbury and 'unrecorded mints'. 3 are from the reign of Burgred of Mercia, a sub-King of Alfred. This may be the same moneyer. Toned, complete, very rare.
Born around 835AD, King Æthelbert of Wessex (meaning 'Magnificent Noble') was the third son of Æthelwulf of Wessex. He became king of Wessex on the death of his brother Æthelbald, having previously being King of Kent, as was the Wessex tradition. During his reign the Danes returned and soon after his accession a Danish army landed either via the Thames or on the south coast and advanced as far as Winchester before two contingents of Saxons defeated them. Towards the end of his reign a more organized force arrived under the command of Ragnar Lodbrok. His fleet had been attacking the east coast of England, particularly Northumbria, and in the winter of 864/5 they stayed in Thanet. Although the Saxons made a pact with them, the Danes plundered east Kent, before advancing back up the east coast. Æthelbert died naturally in 866 and was buried at Sherbourne Abbey.
The Mint of Canterbury - A city 16 miles NW of Dover, it was an early mint of the Saxons gold thrymas are found bearing its name. It was the main mint in southern England during the 8th and 9th centuries. Although the Danes were bought off in 809AD, the town was taken by them in 839AD, 851AD, c.981AD, and again in 1011AD. An Æthelred II die-link exists with Lewes and a William I die-link with Hythe showing the interconnect between these local Wessex dominated mints. Source J.J. North Vol.1 'English Hammered Coinage'.
|
Ancients.info - The Online Resource for Ancient Coins & Antiquities
