Linlithgow, Burgh Muir

NT07NW 21 02 78.

There were presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, on July 31, 1781, 'by Mr James Taylor, Town-Clerk of Linlithgow, Four Silver Roman coins of the Emperors Vespasian, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius', and on August 14, 1781, 'by Robert Clark, Esq., Provost of Linlithgow, Nine Silver coins, viz five of the Emperors Vespasian, Domitian, Trajan, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aure lius, two of the Emperor Hadrian, and two of the Empress Faustina, all dug up, with a great many more, in the muir of Linlithgow' (W Smellie 1782). These coins probably came from the find described in OSA (1795): 'Some years ago, several Roman coins were found in the Burrowmuir, amounting to about 300', and 'They had been deposited in an earthen urn, which the plough broke, and were picked up in lumps, by some persons who followed it to gather stones. The town, as superior, claimed the treasure. The pieces were not above the size of sixpence, all silver, and having different dates and impressions'.

Chalmers (1807) said, wrongly, that 300 coins from this hoard were presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The 13 coins from this hoard have not yet been located in Royal Museum of Scotland (RMS) (A S Robertson 1978).

G Macdonald 1918; RCAHMS 1929