Was Tudor treasure hoard hidden during Kett’s Rebellion?

A hoard of coins discovered in a field may have been buried for safekeeping during Kett's Rebellion in 1549.

The collection of 14 silver coins, minted during the reign of King Henry VIII, was found by metal detector enthusiasts near Wymondham in April last year.

At an inquest in Norwich on Thursday, coroner William Armstrong ruled that the collection was treasure.

A report from Dr Adrian Marsden of the British Museum said coins all belonged to the same collection and 'clearly all went into the ground together'.

He said it could have been the result of 'a purse loss or, more likely, part of a concealed hoard.

'They were probably a small part of a much larger hoard concealed there.'

He added it was 'quite likely these coins were hidden during the Kett uprising in July and August 1549,' in the brief reign of Edward VI.

The value of the collection will now be assessed by a committee, who will decide what compensation is due to finders Stephen Clarkson and Mark Turner and the landowner.

Kett's Rebellion started in Wymondham on July 8, 1549 when farmer Robert Kett led a group of starving peasants against barons who had stolen common land from them.

The 16,000-strong group marched into Norwich and set up camp on Mousehold Heath, twice storming the city successfully before being defeated by troops led by the Earl of Warwick in August 1549.

Other finds declared treasure by Mr Armstrong included an early medieval silver mount, which may have come from a sword pommel, found near Pulham St Mary in November 2011, and a Bronze Age gold strip dated to between 1,300BC and 800BC, found in north Norfolk.

An Anglo-Saxon coin brooch found in a field in Bradenham in February 2011, thought to date from the rule of Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht, between 1076 and 1099, was also declared treasure.