County Durham man charged after coins from a Viking hoard recovered in police raid

A coin similar to what had been recovered in the raid. Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum

Two men, including one man from County Durham, have been charged after coins from a Viking hoard were recovered during a police raid.

Durham Constabulary officers seized a large number of coins and a silver ingot from properties in County Durham and Lancashire in 2019.

The coins come from a Viking hoard, which is believed to have major historical significance.

They have an estimated value of nearly £1 million.

A 44-year-old man, of Bishop Auckland, and a 73-year-old man, from Loveclough, Lancashire, will appear in Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court later next month.  

  • What is the historical significance of this hoard?

The hoard is important because it could fill a gap in the understanding of history at this time.

The haul contains coins of Alfred the Great of Wessex and his less well-known contemporary Ceolwulf II of Mercia.

King Alfred inflicted a major defeat on the Vikings in AD 878 and experts from the British Museum believe the coins belong to an undeclared hoard consistent with the location of the Viking army at that time.

Until now accounts have suggested Ceolwulf of Mercia as a “puppet” of the Vikings and a minor nobleman rather than a proper King.

The coins would tell a very different historical story and show two rulers standing side by side as allies.