Local discovery!
Local metal detectorist Paul Edwards has been keeping Walton Parish Council updated about his discoveries in fields around the Parish. With the permission of local land owners, Paul can often be seen combing the fields in search of interesting objects.
Paul has sent us this picture of a 1723 shilling minted during George 1st reign. He found it in a field near Mill Lane. To appreciate the coin in its original form, a picture of a shilling from the same year from a coin records website can be seen here.
To provide a bit of historical context:
The 1723 coin was minted 110 years before Walton Hall was built, and 38 years before the Bridgewater Canal opened. At the time the population of Warrington was approx. 7000. It was an expanding town and the main industries were sail cloth making and pin manufacture. At the time Warrington produced more than half of the sail cloth used by the British Navy.
In the 18th a shilling was a lot of money! According to the national archives, a domestic servant earned around £6 per year (120 shillings) so whoever lost it was probably a little upset!
Some of Paul's other finds include civil war musket balls and what he thinks maybe a Roman thumb ring which he is getting examined.
We hope to display more of Paul's finds in the future.
