A previous study of the moneyers' names on the late Anglo- Saxon coinage by the same writer concluded with the death of Ethelred Il. This study continues the survey to the accession of Edward the Confessor. The introduction summarises the sources for the coins of this period, current research on their dating and die-cutting, and the function of double names which appear on the coins. A section on phonology discusses in detail the spellings used in the coin-legends, showing how the numerous forms are not due to carelessness or illiteracy on the part of the die-cutters, but reflect sound-changes and spelling conventions-which are also found in documentary sources. Several sound-changes which have hitherto been attributed to Anglo-Norman influence appear on the coins, reinforcing the evidence for their having in fact taken place in native Old English. The individual names are then examined in an Alphabetical Name List for their derivation, and in the final section this information is used towards assessing the composition of the population in the towns where mints were situated, region by region, with regard to the density of Scandinavian settlement and the presence of other non-English groups. The Scandinavian ruling dynasty had little effect on the manning of the mints, the proportions of Scandinavian to English names being very similar to those under Ethelred. There are small changes in the southern Danelaw, which it is suggested may be a legacy of Ethelred's anti-Anglo-Scandinavian policy in the early years of the eleventh century. The coin-evidence reflects the general geographical patterns of settlement to be inferred from place-name and other material., rather than suggesting that the mint towns, because of their commercial status, had attracted a more cosmopolitan population.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:528640 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | Smart, Veronica |
| Publisher | University of Nottingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11818/ |
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