A coin, a castle and a conquest: the Normans in the north of England

In 2021, 950 years after English Heritage’s Richmond Castle was founded in Yorkshire, an amateur archaeologist joined her first dig and turned up a stunning find.  

A silver coin dating to the decades following the Norman Conquest, bearing the face of William the Conqueror, fired up historians’ imaginations.  Who lost it, what were they doing at the castle, and what did this penny mean to the people living in the north of England in the 1080s? 

Will Wyeth and Susan Harrison join Amy on this episode of The English Heritage Podcast to discuss why this area was so important for the strategic building of a castle in post-conquest Yorkshire. They’ll also explore King William’s relationship with northern leaders, his reaction to revolt and the Norman legacy in the north of England. 

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