The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright.

Wright, Thomas, 1810-1877.

Date:: 1852

Credit: The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$rendered hydrias confregissent, by “ to-braecon ]>a bucas,” they broke the buckets. A common name for this vessel, Avhich was properly called hue, was ccscen, signifying literally a vessel made of ash, the favourite wood of the Anglo-Saxons. Roman coins not unfrequently occur in Anglo-Saxon graves, and in some instances a single coin has been found, as though the deceased, or his relatives, had retained some of the older Roman customs. A few later Byzantine, and also Frankish, coins, have been found, but they are much rarer than the Roman coins, which no doubt, continued in circulation under the Saxons.* The earlier history of the Anglo-Saxon coinage is very obscure. On many Roman sites, especially such as are known to have been occupied down to a very late period, arc found veiy small coins in brass, which appear, from their rude character and imperfect design, to have been late imitations of the Roman coins of the size deno- minated third brass. These coins, from their diminutive size, are termed by numismatists minimi, and are supposed to have been struck during the period between the abandonment of the island by the imperial government, and the establishment of the Saxon kingdoms. Among the coins found of late yearn at Richborough, in Kent [Tiutupiai), are no less than two hundred of these minimi, which show' that that post continued to be occupied as a place of importance during the period just mentioned. These coins were followed by a different coinage, which was undoubtedly Saxon, but which also was imitated from that of the Romans, and it is not impi’obable that the old minting establishments continued to exist. These early Saxon coins, for the classification of which very little has yet been done, are called scenttas.\ It is remarkable, that while the Roman minimi are all in brass, the aceattas are invariably in silver. The devices may generally be traced to be rude imitations of Roman types, especially of the coinage of Constantine and his family, which are found in great abundance • It is by no means uncommon to find coins, especially of gold, both Roman, Byz.antine, and Merovingian, with loops attached to them, for the purpose of suspension as ornaments. It w.os a custom which prevailed among the Rom.ms themselves. f The sccattas were the common coins of the Anglo-Saxons at an early period ; and the name was often used as a general term for money. The word, in the singular, is sceaf or scfpf, and to pay your was literally to pay your reckoning. This has been by course of time corrupted into the modern ale-house phrase of paying yonr shot.$