A Hoard of Tremisses from West Norfolk

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Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery has acquired the largest collection of seventh-century gold coins ever found in the UK thanks to our support. 

The West Norfolk Hoard contains 129 gold coins, most of which are Frankish tremisses – solid gold coins minted in the Merovingian Frankish Kingdoms that occupied much of modern-day France, Germany, Switzerland and the Low Countries.

It’s one of only eight hoards of this coin type known from Europe and only the third from the UK. 

The hoard is remarkable for its size and the variety of the coins included. Alongside tremisses, it contains nine gold solidi (a larger coin from the Byzantine empire), a gold bracteate (a Scandinavian type of pendant), a small gold ingot, and two pieces of scrap gold.

Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “Buried for over 1,400 years, the West Norfolk Hoard and the fascinating insights it offers into seventh century England’s place in the world, can finally be revealed. We are delighted to support this acquisition which will keep the hoard intact, in the county in which it was buried and publicly accessible for everyone to enjoy.