Rep ese tative
image
of
histo ical
coi s
spilli g
out
of
a
b oke
bowl
i
a
kitche
(AI
ge e ated)
Whe
Robe t
a d
Betty
Fooks
bought
South
Poo to
Fa m
i
West
Do set
i
2019,
they
k ew
the
17th-ce tu y
lo g
house
would
eed
exte sive
wo k
befo e
it
felt
like
home.
What
they
did
ot
expect
was
to
fi d
a
piece
of
E glish
histo y
bu ied
di ectly
be eath
thei
kitche
floo .
While
diggi g
dow
ea ly
two
feet
o e
Octobe
eve i g
to
aise
the
ceili g
height,
Robe t’s
pickaxe
st uck
a
glazed
potte y
bowl
hidde
i
the
ba e
ea th.
I side
we e
mo e
tha
1,000
gold
a d
silve
coi s,
some
dati g
back
to
the
eig s
of
Elizabeth
I
a d
James
I,
othe s
mi ted
du i g
the
tu bule t
yea s
of
the
Fi st
E glish
Civil
Wa .
The
discove y,
late
k ow
as
the
Poo to
Coi
Hoa d,
would
go
o
to
sell
at
auctio
fo
te s
of
thousa ds
of
dolla s,
but
its
eal
value
lay
i
the
sto y
it
told
about
who
bu ied
it,
a d
why,
ce tu ies
befo e
it
was
eve
fou d
agai .
How
the
Fooks
family
u cove ed
a
400-yea -old
bowl
of
coi s
while
lowe i g
thei
kitche
floo
to
add
head
height
How
the
Fooks
family
u cove ed
a
400-yea -old
bowl
of
coi s
while
lowe i g
thei
kitche
floo
to
add
head
height
The
Fooks
family
pu chased
South
Poo to
Fa m
as
a
lo g-te m
e ovatio
p oject,
taki g
o
a
cottage
whose
o igi al
sto e
walls
a d
st uctu e
dated
back
some
400
yea s.
As
pa t
of
that
e ovatio ,
they
st ipped
the
kitche
back
to
ba e
sto e
a d
bega
lowe i g
the
g ou d
level
to
c eate
mo e
head
height
dow stai s.
Acco di g
to
Duke’s
Auctio ee s,
the
fi m
that
late
ha dled
the
sale,
the
couple
emoved
a
mode
co c ete
floo
a d
dug
dow
by
ea ly
two
feet,
u cove i g
old
flagsto es
i
some
a eas
while
othe
sectio s
evealed
o ly
ba e
ea th
be eath.
It
was
i
o e
of
those
ba e
ea th
patches,
wo ki g
by
to chlight
o e
Octobe
eve i g,
that
Robe t
st uck
the
bu ied
bowl,
eveali g
mo e
tha
1,000
coi s
packed
i side.
O ce
the
discove y
was
epo ted,
the
coi s
we e
se t
to
the
B itish
Museum
fo
clea i g
a d
fo mal
ide tificatio .
Specialists
the e
exami ed
the
hoa d
a d
co cluded
the
coi s
had
most
likely
all
bee
bu ied
togethe
o
a
si gle
occasio
sometime
betwee
1642
a d
1644,
placi g
the
bu ial
squa ely
withi
the
ope i g
yea s
of
the
Fi st
E glish
Civil
Wa .
The
hoa d
itself
spa ed
seve al
eig s
athe
tha
a
si gle
e a,
co tai i g
gold
coi s
mi ted
u de
James
I
a d
Cha les
I
alo gside
silve
half
c ow s,
shilli gs
a d
sixpe ces
dati g
back
fu the
still
to
the
eig s
of
Elizabeth
I,
Philip
a d
Ma y,
suggesti g
the
coi s
had
bee
accumulated
g adually
ove
decades
befo e
fi ally
bei g
hidde
away.
Why
a
family
would
bu y
ove
1,000
coi s
du i g
the
chaos
of
E gla d’s
Civil
Wa ,
a d
what
a
smashed
bowl
eveals
about
how
ca efully
it
was
hidde
Why
a
family
would
bu y
ove
1,000
coi s
du i g
the
chaos
of
E gla d’s
Civil
Wa ,
a d
what
a
smashed
bowl
eveals
about
how
ca efully
it
was
hidde
The
timi g
of
the
bu ial
li es
up
closely
with
o e
of
the
most
tu bule t
pe iods
i
E glish
histo y,
whe
Pa liame ta ia
a d
Royalist
fo ces
clashed
epeatedly
ac oss
the
cou t yside,
a d
o di a y
households
faced
the
ve y
eal
isk
of
havi g
thei
homes
sea ched
o
thei
belo gi gs
seized
by
passi g
t oops.
Bu yi g
valuables
u de g ou d
was
a
commo
a d
p actical
p ecautio
du i g
this
pe iod,
offe i g
a
way
to
p otect
savi gs
f om
soldie s
o
eithe
side
while
wa
swept
th ough
u al
a eas
like
Poo to .
Betty
Fooks
has
said
she
believes
whoeve
bu ied
the
coi s
likely
i te ded
to
etu
fo
them
o ce
it
was
safe
to
do
so,
a
pla
that,
fo
easo s
lost
to
histo y,
eve
came
to
pass.
Addi g
a
small
but
evocative
detail
to
the
fi d,
the
potte y
bowl
that
had
o ce
held
the
coi s
was
discove ed
b oke ,
though
it
emai s
u clea
whethe
the
damage
happe ed
du i g
the
diggi g
itself
o
ce tu ies
ea lie
whe
the
hoa d
was
fi st
bu ied.
Eithe
way,
the
p ese ce
of
a
dedicated
co tai e
holdi g
well
ove
1,000
coi s
suggests
a
delibe ate,
ca eful
act
of
co cealme t
athe
tha
a
hu ied
o
accide tal
loss,
ei fo ci g
the
idea
that
whoeve
hid
the
coi s
mea t
to
p otect
a
ge ui e
sto e
of
pe so al
wealth
athe
tha
simply
misplace
it.
Betty
Fooks
desc ibed
the
mome t
of
discove y
simply,
ecalli g
that
he
husba d
called
out
f om
the
kitche
to
say
they
had
fou d
somethi g,
befo e
gathe i g
the
coi s
i to
a
bucket.
Fo
the
Fooks
family,
a
outi e
kitche
e ovatio
aimed
at
maki g
thei
home
mo e
comfo table
e ded
up
co ecti g
them
di ectly
to
that
histo y,
offe i g
a
physical
emi de
that
be eath
eve
the
most
o di a y
co e s
of
a
old
house,
the
past,
a d
sometimes
a
g eat
deal
of
it,
ca
still
be
waiti g
to
be
u cove ed.