A routine backyard repair in southern England turned into a major historical discovery when a couple fixing a fence post uncovered 70 Tudor-era gold coins buried in the soil, according to the Smithsonian Magazine. The find was made near Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire, where what looked like ordinary mud concealed a hoard spanning more than a century of English history.
The couple unearthed the coins in April 2020 while working in their garden. Covered in clay at first, the pieces revealed finely detailed portraits once cleaned, prompting experts to examine them. Specialists at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford later confirmed that the coins dated from the reign of Henry VI through Henry VIII, with several bearing distinctive markings that allowed precise identification.
Small details such as lettering, scratches, and royal initials helped researchers determine when each coin was struck. Some featured the initials of queens alongside Henry VIII’s, a practice tied to royal marriages and political messaging. Because the most recent coins date to the late 1530s, historians believe the hoard was buried during a period of intense upheaval under Henry VIII.
That era coincided with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the Crown seized church wealth across England. Scholars say the mix of coins suggests long-term saving rather than a single payment, raising the possibility that the stash belonged to a religious institution, a merchant, or a household attempting to protect assets from confiscation. Gold’s resistance to corrosion, combined with the clay-rich soil, helped preserve sharp details even after centuries underground.
Under England’s treasure laws, the discovery was logged through the Portable Antiquities Scheme, ensuring the hoard was formally recorded before being sold. Although archaeologists later recovered additional coins from the site, the collection was ultimately broken up and auctioned individually, fetching more than £380,000 in total.
While the identity of the original owner remains unknown, the documented find offers a rare glimpse into Tudor England, revealing how ordinary people and institutions navigated political danger by hiding wealth beneath their feet.
