Archaeology Notes

Event ID 662745

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/662745

NH74NE 13 c. 7950 4936

See also NH74NE 14.

The Croy hoard was discovered in two parts:

Part One was found within a square yard by a girl planting potato drills in the spring of 1875 and was brought to the NMAS in May, 1875. It consists of a silver penannular brooch, dated by R A Smith (A O Curle 1939) to circa 820 AD.; part of a band of knitted silver wire; a silver penny of Coenwulf, King of Mercia AD 796-821; by the moneyer Eanmund; two glass and two amber beads and part of a bronze balance beam, which may possibly be dated to the 8th century (Megaw 1940). At least one other coin and a few more beads were found but were lost by the original finder.

Part two was found by Mr James Shearer, Mains of Croy, in 1875 or 1876 and consisted of a portion of one, and almost half of another, silver penannular brooch; one amber and two glass beads; and a coin originally thought also to be of Coenwolf but re-attributed, quite definitely, by C E Blunt to Athelwulf, King of Wessex AD. 839-858, and is by the moneyer Deineah.

Both parts of the hoard are in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS).

The find-spot is about half a mile from Croy Parish Church, on Mains of Croy farm, near the road from Croy (NH 79 49) to Dalcross Castle (NH 77 48) on the summit of a low gravelly ridge, in a field first cultivated circa 1864 AD.

T Fraser and J Anderson 1876; J Anderson 1881; A Ross 1886; A O Curle 1939; B R S Megaw 1940; C E Blunt 1952.

According to Miss Cammeron (Moss Cottage, Croy, Inverness-shire) the Croy Hoard was found in the field of Clach na Sanais (NH74NE 11) many years ago. At the time of the find the Laird of Cantray had a replica made of of the silver penannular brooch, which he presented to his daughter on her wedding-day. Miss Cameron asserts that there used to be a low gravelly ridge in this field, which is now pasture, and also at the bottom of the field there is a swampy area known as the Moss of Croy, in which another silver brooch of identical pattern and shape as the previous penannular brooch was found "many years ago" by a man digging peat (Information from Mrs MacLennan, Roy Cottage, Croy, Inverness-shire). (There may be some confusion about this last statement by Mrs MacLennan - Miss Cameron being the more reliable authority)

Visited by OS (RB), 21 August 1964.