Treasure trove tied to infamous 1692 massacre discovered by student in Scottish home

Someone with money to burn stashed a hoard of coins in a fireplace in Scotland in the late 17th century. They never returned for it.

Now — more than 300 years later — the treasure trove has been uncovered and linked to an infamous massacre.

Lucy Ankers, an archaeology student at the University of Glasgow, stumbled upon the coins during her first-ever dig in August, according to an Oct. 9 university news release.

While examining a Glencoe hunting lodge associated with a 17th century Scottish clan chief, Ankers turned her attention to a grand fireplace.

There, beneath a stone slab in the hearth, she found a small pot sealed with a pebble for a lid. Inside were 36 coins of varying sizes and colors.

“I don’t think I will ever beat the feeling of seeing the coins peeking out of the dirt in the pot,” Ankers said in the release.

A analysis revealed the pieces, made of silver and bronze, were minted throughout Europe — including in England, France, the Netherlands and the Papal States — during the 1500s and 1600s.

Interestingly, none of the coins were minted after the 1680s, leading archaeologists to believe they may have been connected to the 1692 Glencoe Massacre, a well-known mass killing event in the Scottish highlands.

Government soldiers loyal to the king of Scotland slaughtered 38 members of Clan MacDonald, a Glencoe community, after being welcomed into their homes, according to the National Library of Scotland.

“Forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned,” according to the library.

The MacDonalds were targeted for their part in a 1689 uprising, according to the release.

It’s likely that one of them buried the pot of coins for safekeeping before the massacre. The fact that no one reclaimed the money indicates the person who deposited them may have been a victim of the mass killing.

“This is a unexpected and extraordinary discovery both due to the range of dates of coins represented — some of which are over 100 years old when the pot is deposited, and due to the itineraries of the coins, suggesting they represent the travels of the MacDonald Chief, and his connections — through trade — in later life,” Eddie Stewart, the project’s excavation director, told McClatchy News.

Further analysis of the coins, as well as other artifacts discovered at the house, is underway.

This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Treasure trove tied to infamous 1692 massacre discovered by student in Scottish home."