Treasure Under London

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXVIII, Issue 3482, 16 August 1937, Page 7

Treasure Under London

The scene was a thoroughfare in the heart of London one morning just over fifty years ago. A very old building had been demolished, and navvies were digging deep down into the clayey soil to find a foundation for the new premises which were to be erected shortly on the site.

Suddenly, the pick wielded by one of the workers struck something hard. The man dealt a few hefty blows, but he could not displace the object, which he imagined to be a large boulder. Exchanging his pick for a shovel, he scraped away some earth, and to his surprise he saw a huge ornamented chest sticking out of the mud. The navvy called to his mates, and the men worked feverishly to extract the chest. When they found that it was so heavy that it required all of them to raise it their curiosity knew no bounds. A few heavy strokes with a pick accounted for the ancient lock and the lid flew open.

Instantly a flood of bright gold and silver coins poured out on to the muddy ground. There were hundreds or them, all of the time of Henry the Eighth. The astonished laborers delved into the chest and brought out beautiful golden vases and massive pieces of silver. There were also church, ornaments magnificently wrought and studded with rubies, diamonds, and sparkling gems.

That was one of London's treasures. Many had been- unearthed in previous years, and others have been brought to light since. But a large number are known to be hidden under the streets and building of the metropolis to the present day. It seems incredible that people can walk along a street or sit in a picture house and all the time have thousands of pounds worth of precious metals burled beneath their feet. Yet those who know the history, the age, and the vastness of London can realise that there is nothing so very remarkable in that fact.

Years ago people hid treasures In London for various reasons. Perhaps a soldier going abroad to fight buried his savings in a cellar, meaning to retrieve them on his return; and perhaps he never returned. Highwaymen, too, secreted their stolen property in old inns and houses, and were perhaps hanged or killed before they could get their hands on it again.

During the Great Fire hundreds of citizens buried their wealth to keep it safe from the brigands who ravaged their burned houses. Many of those treasures were never recovered. New houses and streets were built over the old ones, and the undisturbed treasure lay (in some cases still lies) beneath them. It is only when excavations are made for new buildings that some of the old treasures are discovered. When it Is realised that only a very small portion of the ground on which London stands is disturbed in the course of even a decade it is easy to believe that there is still plenty of wealth under London awaiting discovery. There is said to be a treasure valued at £60,000 hidden under one of the cellars in the Tower. It belonged to John Barkestead, an ofilcer in the Tower at the time of Cromwell. When the Royalists returned to power Barkestead knew that he was a doomed man. He also knew that if he were caught escaping from the country with his money in his possession it would all be taken from him. Therefore, together with a friend, he buried it in a cellar and ran away. He was subsequently caught and executed, and although attempts have been made to locate his property these have all been unsuccessful.

The most thrilling treasure hunt ever experienced In the city took place nearly a hundred years ago, when the Thames delivered up wealth whicih had been concealed in its waters for years. One morning two Lambeth boys searching for firewood along the river bank at low tide found two large silver coins. The people of the district heard of the find and hurried down to the river to see what they could discover. With shovels, forks, knives, spoons and other implements they dug holes in the mud and to their astonishment they unearthed a quantity of valuable coins. Some were British of the reigns of the Edwards and Henry the Eighth, and others were Spanish. For the next three days the treasure hunt continued. About a hundred people floundered and struggled in the Thames mud. digging frantically to extract the buried wealth. Finds were made every few minutes. On the second day a gold ring of ancient origin was found. One man, standing knee deep In the water, plunged a pail under the surface and pulled it up full of silver coins. The hunt stopped only when the treasure-seekers heard that the police were coming to arrest them for taking possession of property which they did not rightly own. • Many of the London treasures which have escaped the melting pot are to be seen in the British Museum and other institutions. The collection includes a hoard of 7000 coins, and two ivy leaves of silver unearthed at Highbury in 1860. The Museum also contains four Scottish pennies of the reign of Alexander the Second and four Henry the Eighth long cross pennies, and numerous other coins dated from 1247 to 1272, all part of a hoard dug up by a worker at Winchmore Hill. There is also on view a collection of 400 coins discovered as recently as 1930. One of the most wonderful of the London treasures yet discovered is to be seen In the Goldsmiths' Hall. It Is a remarkable gold miniature of the altar of Diana found when the Hall was in course of erection.