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1. The recent discovery of a large horde of gold coins dating from the era of King Henry VIII is a reminder of the way in which a leader’s personality and private torments can leave a lasting mark on the course of history.
2. A gardener pulling weeds in south-central England has found sixty-three gold coins and one silver coin while turning up his soil. The coins are from the Tudor period, dating between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, spanning the reigns of Edward IV -- Henry VIII.
3. Most of the coins are “angels,” the widely used gold coin of the late medieval period, so named because it has an image of the archangel Michael killing a dragon as described in the book of Revelation.
4. Four of the coins are notable, however, bearing special markings denoting their minting during the early years of King Henry VIII’s reign.
5. In 1526, Henry and Cardinal Wolsey reorganized English coinage in an effort to regulate the English economy. They changed the weight of coins and introduced new denominations, including the five-shilling gold coin, which eventually replaced the angel.
6. These new gold coins featured the Tudor rose and shield; but they were also stamped with the letter “K,” the first initial of Henry’s first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon.
7. The initial stamping protocol must have seemed like a nice idea in the beginning; but it required the minting of new gold coins as Henry replaced his wives. A new queen required the minting of a new coin stamped with the proper initial.
8. The second round of coins were therefore marked with the letter “A,” for Anne Boleyn; and the third round was marked with an “I”, for Jane Seymour. But by the time Henry married queen number four, the initial stamping idea had faded.
9. The last three of Henry’s wives, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, were not so honored.
10. Coin experts say these markings are unusual and without English precedent. They are at a loss to explain why this was done.
Perhaps the answer is simple: it was Henry.
Perhaps the answer is simple: it was Henry.
11. Experts believe the horde of coins was buried around 1540, a time of national tumult triggered by Henry’s break from the Catholic Church. The horde was quite valuable: worth £24 then-almost $18,500 todayan amount exceeding the annual wages of the average person of the time.
12. t is thought that the horde may have been buried by a wealthy merchant or possibly by a member of the clergy.
As a part of Henry’s split from the Church, he disbanded all of the monasteries in 1536-1541, taking their income and disposing of their assets.
As a part of Henry’s split from the Church, he disbanded all of the monasteries in 1536-1541, taking their income and disposing of their assets.
13. Many churches tried to hide their wealth then, hoping that, in time, the Church would be restored.
It was a gambit that didn’t pay off. One can only wonder what became of the man who buried the horde of coins so long ago and never returned to claim it.
It was a gambit that didn’t pay off. One can only wonder what became of the man who buried the horde of coins so long ago and never returned to claim it.
14. But we know what happened to Henry. He died on January 29, 1547, at the age of 55. Most historians believe his cause of death was renal and liver failure, coupled with the effects of obesity. He is believed to have then weighed 392 pounds.
15. This report came from today's Eight Things To Know. We combine current events w/ history & tell interesting stories, laden w/ info you won't find elsewhere.
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