A hoard of early 4th century Roman coins was found in this location in c.1851, during the digging of foundations for a house towards the bottom of Steep Hill. 'A small vase or box in terra cotta was found, which contained 20 small brass coins of Constantine, Fausta, Crispus, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans.' The coins were described as denarii, all of which were 'reduced Folles of the Constantine period. Unfortunately the details of the legends are somewhat muddled and none of the coins appears to survive, so it is impossible to check. However, it is reasonably certain that the coins all fall within the period 322 - 326 AD and that the mints of London, Trier and Arles are represented. Thus the date of the pot, or at least its last use, is fairly well-established.' 'The vase contained a slit at the side after the ordinary manner of money-boxes.' The hoard was acquired by the British Museum's Department of Antiquities, where the vessel was described as being 'in a grey-black sandy fabric with a black, burnished surface. The globular body is topped by a small finial, presumably a plug of clay used to seal the neck. A small circular fracture can be seen on the finial near the coin-slot, representing either ancient surface spalling or a junction for a handle; no lower attachment for a handle can be seen however, so its existence is extremely doubtful. The vertical coin slot is formed by what appears to be a saw-cut in the neck some 20mm long, widened by punching or chiselling. This secondary widening may perhaps represent the finder's attempts to extract the coins. It is impossible to aguge the thickness of the walls except at this point. The base is string-cut and maximum height is 115mm, maximum diameter 102mm.' {1}