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The Silver Coins of England

Edward Hawkins, 1841
Kings of Kent
Ethilberht I. from 568 to 615.

Table of Contents

Kings of Kent
Ethilberht I. from 568 to 615.

One coin is known of this king; it is a sceatta, of silver, and resembles in type some of the common coins of that name, see (42) and Rud. Sceattae i. 5-16. The obverse consists only of the name and title of the king, ETHILID REX, in two lines; the reverse, if compared with the sceattae above referred to, with Rud. I. 18 and 25 or (41) and (43), may be supposed to represent a bird, or the Wolf and Roman twins. It is extremely rare; the British and Hunterian Museums have each a specimen. Weight nearly 19 gr. (50) Rud. iii. It is supposed to have been struck before the establishment of Christianity in England, being without the symbol of the cross. It was therefore probably struck before the end of the sixth century, when Ethilberht's conversion is said to have been effected by the preaching of Augustine. It should be observed that the reading of this coin is not altogether unequivocal; that the places where the specimens were found are not recorded, and that the coin may consequently belong to some other person and place. Sceattae however are named in the laws of Ethilberht, which still remain.

In this place were formerly introduced a series of coins attributed to Ecgberht, king of Kent from 665 to 673: (102) to (108) Rud. iii. these will now be found amongst the coins of Northumbria, to which district the author has ventured to transfer them. If he be correct in this removal the above sceatta is the only one known belonging to the kingdom of Kent; and there is an interval between the years 673 and 725, to which we cannot assign any Kentish coin.

Saxon | Table of Contents | Kent - Ethilberht II


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