The Cuerdale Silver Hoard

The Cuerdale silver hoard was discovered on May 15, 1840. It had been raining quite a bit and the embankments along River Ribble at Walton le Dale, Cuerdale, close to Preston, had been flooded. A group of workmen were hired to repair the meadows. After a hard day's work, on their way home, they spotted what appeared to be the remains of a wooden box. Inside, they found a somewhat beat up leaden box containing more than 8,000 pieces of silver ingots and coins. Quick action by the landowner's custodians prevented the workmen from looting the treasure. Via the Duchy of Lancaster, the Cuerdale treasure was offered to Queen Victoria and then transferred to the British Museum for safekeeping.

Described as the largest Viking silver treasure trove ever discovered outside Russia, the Cuerdale hoard has a rather interesting story. Based on studies on the 7,000 plus silver coins, the treasure trove was believed to be buried sometime between 905AD to 910AD. However, the existence of the treasure had been somewhat of a folklore to the inhabitants of Lancashire. Long before the treasure was found, there were legends of the "richest treasure in England" and "up river towards Ribchester" being spread in the region. When diviners failed to locate the treasure, the buzz was reduced to a murmur. However, the tradition remained. Though the prophecy of the treasure did come to pass eventually, it's interesting to note that the Cuerdale silver hoard may never have been discovered if the rains had not been quite so fierce in that spring of 1840.

What does the Cuerdale hoard tell us? Here's a little background. The Vikings were driven out of Dublin in 902AD, a few years before the treasure was buried. Some scholars believed that the Cuerdale treasure might have been a war chest since it was found in a wooden chest. In those days, River Ribble was used by the Vikings to travel from York to the Irish Sea. The existence of Irish Norse silver bullion and York Viking mint silver coins implied that the Cuerdale hoard might have been some form of war funding put together by the Vikings to recapture Dublin in the future. For some reason, it was never recovered by the Vikings.

What's the reward for finding the Cuerdale hoard? The workmen were allowed to keep a silver coin each for their part in discovering the "richest treasure in England". How's that? Do you want to sell silver? With a good silver buyer, you can get instant cash for silver.