Iona, Iona Abbey

NM22SE 2 2865 2451

(NM 2864 2454). A hoard of over 350 10th century Anglo-Saxon silver pennies and three ornaments was found during drain-digging within the precincts of the Abbey (NM22SE 5) by workmen of the Iona Community on 11th August, 1950. The exact spot, as recorded by Adam Campbell, master mason, was 19'8" from the face of the south wall of the Reredorter and 1' from the face of the west wall of the room connecting with the cloister range. It lay at a depth of 21", under a layer of rough stones which extended over a large area at a depth of 1', and against the bottom stones of a stretch of rough masonry, on which the Abbey Wall was founded.

The coins range in time from about 925 to 990; and one of the ornaments is probably Anglo-Saxon work of the 10th century - a mounting of silver and gold with a green glass bead. The other ornaments were a bar of silver, 5 1/4" long, with one end tapered like a bracelet of common Viking type, and bent into a pointed oval; and a fragment of 1/8" gold wire 1 1/2" long, bent in a loop and cut. The hoard was placed in the National Museum of Antoquities of Scotland [NMAS], except for a few duplicates which were sent to the Iona Trustees and the British Museum.

R B K Stevenson 1953

From the description, this hoard would appear to have been found at NM 2865 2451.

Visited by OS (RD) 9 June 1972.