Unique coin treasure found in Scotland: linked to ancient massacre

A unique hoard of coins has been discovered in Scotland that may be linked to the infamous Glen Coe massacre. The treasure was found under the fireplace. Experts have discovered 17th-century coins at a site associated with Scottish clan chief Alasdair Ruadh “MacLain” MacDonald.

A hoard of coins associated with a Highland chief, which may have been stashed away as he tried in vain to escape the Glen Coe massacre, has been discovered under a fireplace.

A collection of 36 17th-century coins was hidden under the remains of a large stone fireplace at the site, which is believed to have been a hunting lodge or feast hall, writes The Guardian.

The site was associated with Alasdair Ruadh “McLain” MacDonald of Glen Coe, a clan chieftain from 1646-1692 who, along with his family, was a victim of the massacres that followed the first Jacobite rising.

The MacDonalds took part in the 1689 effort to restore the Catholic King James II of England and Ireland (aka James VII of Scotland) to the throne after his deposition by his Anglican daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange.

When government forces crushed the uprising and tried to impose peace terms, the clan became a target, allegedly for being among those who failed to swear allegiance to the Protestant monarchs on time. It is estimated that 82 clansmen were killed on February 13, 1692, including MacLane and his wife.

Artifacts discovered at MacLaine’s summer house included European pottery, as well as silver and bronze coins dating from 1500 to 1680, during an excavation by the University of Glasgow in August.

Lucy Ankers, the archaeology student who found the treasure, said: “As a first excavation experience, Glencoe was amazing. I didn’t expect such an exciting find as one of my first. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the feeling of seeing coins peeking out of the dirt in a pot.”

Currency from the reigns of Elizabeth I, James VI and I, Charles I, the Cromwellian Commonwealth and Charles II, as well as France, the Spanish Netherlands and the Papal States, was also found, The Guardian notes.

Historians believe that those who buried the coins may have been killed during the massacre because the owners did not return for them.

Other finds from the structure included a musket and shot, a flintlock and a gunpowder measure, as well as pottery from England, Germany and the Netherlands and the remains of a grand slab ceiling.

In January 1692, following the rebellion and the clan’s refusal to pay tribute, approximately 120 men from the Earl of Argyll’s regiment of foot arrived at Glencoe from Invergarry, led by Robert Campbell of Glenlyon.

Historians have suggested that the coins may have been buried two weeks later, on the morning of the massacre. Survivors fled up a side valley during the snowstorm and may have stumbled upon the property.

Dr Michael Given, co-director of the University of Glasgow’s Glencoe Archaeology Project, said: “These exciting finds give us a rare insight into a dramatic event. Here’s what appears to be an ordinary farmhouse, but it features a large fireplace, impressive flagstones and exotic ceramics imported from the Netherlands and Germany. What’s really interesting is that these coins date back to no later than the 1680s – so were they buried in a hurry when the massacre began first thing on the morning of February 13, 1692? We know that some of the survivors made it through the snowstorm and disappeared into the side canyons, including this one. Were these coins witnesses to this dramatic story? It’s a real privilege to hold in our hands these objects that were such an important part of people’s lives.”