Research

Coinage, Landscape and society in the borderlands: economy, politics and identity in Scotland and northern England 1136-1603

Supervisors: Dr. Aleksandra McClain and Dr. Steve Ashby (York) Dr. Anna Groundwater (NMS) and Dr. Alice Blackwell (National Museums Scotland)

Funding: AHRC through the Scottish Cultural Heritage Consortium (SCHC)  

In 1136 David I seized the city of Carlisle and control of the mint and surrounding silver mines and began to mint the first native Scottish coins. This had a profound effect on the economies and society in the borderlands and began a long and complicated monetary relationship between Scotland and England that lasted until the union of the crowns in 1603 and beyond.

This project is a CPD between the University of York and National Museums Scotland and will investigate single coin finds dating from 1136-1603 found in the Anglo-Scottish borders and will utilize a range of methodologies such as GIS and LiDAR in order to explore the inter and intra regional dimensions of coin loss in relation to settlements, political and economic centres and communication routes.

The key research questions this project will address will include the deposition patterns of coins in the borders and how they compare to both regional and national patterns, the role of urban and rural settlements in facilitating trade and exchange in the borderlands, the effect ecclesiastical institutions had on the use and exchange of coinage, the effect of national political and monetary policies on the monetary relationship between Scotland and England and how theories of border cultures can be used to explore the social dimensions of coinage and its role in creating personal, ethnic, regional and national identities.

This is the first project to utilize numismatic data on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border as previous studies and research have only focused on national or regional areas. This is also the first numismatic project to utilize LiDAR data in its methodology and it’s also the first study of coin use and loss in the Anglo-Scottish borders and its aim is to increase the economic, numismatic and social dimensions in a region of connections and a region of divisions.

Profile

Carl Savage is a freelance archaeologist and numismatist specializing on British medieval and post medieval coinage with a particular interest in the Scottish coinage from 1136-1603.

He received his undergraduate degree in archaeology from the University of Central Lancashire in 2008 and his MA in medieval archaeology from the University of York in 2013.

In between his degrees, Carl has worked as a commercial field archaeologist and numismatist in and around England and Wales. His main research interests include coin loss and use in the Anglo-Scottish borders, numismatic finds in Scotland and the changing currency of Scotland. As well as coins he also has in interest in ecclesiastical archaeology and history. He is currently working on developing a new classification through a die study of coins of David II’s REX SCOT(T)ORVM coinage dating c.1351-57/8 and publishing numismatic coin finds from Scotland from 2010 to the present.

Carl also acts as a volunteer numismatic specialist with the Portable Antiquities Scheme  (PAS) and works with the Scottish Treasure Trove unit in identifying medieval and post medieval numismatic single finds in Scotland. He also acts the honorary curator of archaeology at Carlisle Cathedral and is responsible for the Cathedrals archaeology collection.

Publications & Awards

Publications 

Beeton, H. and Savage, C ‘Finds and coins recorded with the PAS in Cheshire 2019’ Journal of the Cheshire Archaeological Society 90 (Forthcoming). 

Ball, M and Savage, C. ‘Unpublished coin hoards from Cheshire’, Journal of the Cheshire Archaeological Society 87, pp 13-59 (2017)

Savage, C. ‘The Wigton and Maryport medieval coin hoards’, Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society, extra new series 15, pp 15-27 (2015)

Savage, C. ‘The Edwardian hoard from Bootham School, York’, British Numismatic Journal 83 (forthcoming)

Savage, C. ‘The medieval coinage in Warrington Museum and a new Edwardian hoard from Cheshire’, Journal of the Cheshire Archaeological Society 88 (forthcoming)

Savage, C. ‘The early thirteenth century coin hoard from Yealand Redmayne, Lancashire’, Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society (Forthcoming)

Savage, C.  ‘Two Edwardian coin hoards from Lancashire’ Contrebis (Forthcoming)

Savage, C. ‘Medieval coin hoards from Cumbria’, British Numismatic Journal 81 (2017)

Savage, C. ‘The medieval coinage in Warrington Museum and a new Edwardian hoard from Cheshire’, Journal of the Cheshire Archaeological Society 88, pp 121-26 (2018)

Savage, C. ‘The Blencogo and Skinburness coin hoards’, Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society, extra new series 16, pp 203-13 (2016)

Savage, C.E and Woods, A. R. ‘The Bootham School coin hoard’, Yorkshire Philosophical Society annual report 2014, pp 66-70 (2015)

Savage, C. ‘The Wigton and Maryport medieval coin hoards’, Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society, extra new series 15, pp 15-27 (2015)

Savage, C. ‘Introduction to post medieval coins and identification guide for archaeologists’, BAJR Guide no. 38 (2015)

Savage, C. ‘Introduction to medieval coins and identification guide for archaeologists’, BAJR Guide no. 37 (2014)

Savage, C. and Allen, M. ‘A coin of David I of Scotland from Nottinghamshire’, British Numismatic Journal 89 pp 212-3 (2019)

Savage, C.E and Woods, A. R. ‘The Bootham School coin hoard’, Yorkshire Philosophical Society annual report 2014, pp 66-70 (2015)

Savage, C. Freeman, E. and Paul, E. ‘Numismatic finds in Scotland 2011-19’ currently in prep for the proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (PSAS) 

Savage, C. ‘The REX SCOT(T)ORVM pennies of David II’ Currently under review for the British Numismatic Journal.

Magazine Articles

‘Identifying medieval coins, the Short Cross coinage 1180-1247’ in Treasure Hunting magazine May 2020 issue.

‘Identifying medieval coins, the voided Long Cross coinage 1247-1279’ in Treasure Hunting magazine (forthcoming)

Conferences 

Leeds International Medieval Congress (IMC), 2019 ‘Coinage, Landscape and society in the borderlands: economy, politics and identity in Scotland and northern England 1136-1603’

Wrexham Museum medieval conference ‘The English coinage 1180-1544

The Scottish medievalists, 2020 ‘Coinage, Landscape and society in the borderlands: A case study of the Scottish coinage of David I and Earl Henry’

Durham MEMSA (digital conference), 2020 ‘Coins and borders: A case study of the first Scottish coinage of David I, Earl Henry and Malcolm IV and the Anglo-Scottish Border’

British and Royal Numismatic Society joint summer conference, 2018, ‘The circulation and impact of the first native Scottish coinage of David I, Earl Henry and Malcolm IV’

CBA North West annual conference, 2017, ‘Medieval and early post medieval coinage and the PAS in North West England’

Wrexham Museum numismatic conference, 2017, ‘Border coinages: a preliminary study of the exchange and use of coinage from Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway’

PASt explorers conference, 2016, ‘Roman and medieval coins in the North West: the contribution of the PAS’

Museum Development North West, 2016, Identifying medieval coins workshop

Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society, 2015, ‘The circulation of coinage in Cumbria 1066-1544’

North West Regional Archaeological Forum, 2015, ‘The circulation of coinage in Cumbria 1066-1544’

British and Royal Numismatic Society joint summer conference, 2015, ‘The Bootham School coin hoard’

Money and Medals Network, 2015, Identifying medieval coins workshop

DUKY Annual Medieval Conference, University of York, 2013, ‘The circulation of medieval coins in Cumberland from 1279 to 1485: an analysis of the numismatic data’

Darfield Archaeological Society, 2011, ‘The coinage of England’

Research Grants 

Cheshire Archaeological Society, 2016

Research and bring to publication unpublished and updated information on Roman, medieval and post medieval coin hoards in Cheshire

British Numismatic Society, 2014,

Record, identify and interpret the Bootham School hoard at the Yorkshire Museum

Memberships

• Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
• Corporate member of the CIfA (PCIfA)
• Member of the British Numismatic Society
• Member of the Scottish Medievalists  

Teaching & Impact

Teaching 

2019-20 Themes in historical archaeology: The medieval world (GTA).

2019-20 Artefacts from excavation (Demonstrator). 

External teaching 

Portable Antiquities Scheme training event for FLO’s and volunteers, 2019 (Yorkshire Museum): The medieval coinage of England 1180-1544.

Curatorial training for National Museums Scotland curators, 2019 (NMS): The medieval coinage of England 1180-1544. 

Curatorial training for National Museums Scotland curators, 2019 (NMS): The medieval coinage of Scotland 1136-1603.