Tell us about yourself.
I’m currently in the second year of my PhD at the University of Nottingham, studying the coins of the early Norman kings. I am also on the books as the casual Museum Numismatist at the University of Nottingham Museum, as well as doing a bit of freelance museum collections work in various local institutions. Since originally graduating in 1998 I have held various collections-based museum positions, and between 2007 and 2009 I was FLO for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (jobsharing with my colleague Rachel Atherton). I hope to go back into curatorial work when I finish my PhD.
What does your role involve?
I work with the other volunteers to identify and record objects on the database, but as Senior Volunteer my role will also include some additional advisory and training work. I will be providing a training session on medieval coins later in the year. I will hopefully be able to help Alastair by supervising the volunteers if he’s not available too.
What area of history/archaeology are you most interested in?
My main interest from an historical perspective is the medieval period, and most particularly the later Saxon, Viking and Norman era. In terms of archaeological interests I am especially passionate about coins! I have expertise in Early Medieval English coinage, and a good knowledge of the English coinage of all other eras.
Why did you start volunteering for the PAS?
It’s been a few years since I was working as FLO and I really miss seeing all the amazing finds. Additionally I know how terribly difficult it is for FLOs to keep on top of recording all the finds shown to them, so I think the volunteering scheme is a vital way to support the great work of the PAS. When Alastair contacted me to ask if I’d like to be involved I jumped at the chance to help out – and to keep my hand in with identifying and recording finds.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering for the PAS?
The chance to see the artefacts and keep up to date on what’s being found in our area.
What is the most exciting find from Nottinghamshire you have recorded so far?
While I was working as FLO I recorded many amazing objects but one which stands out is a slightly mysterious object, interpreted as possibly the head of a stylus or pointer (DENO-66AA97). It has the figure of wyvern in high relief, with traces of gilding. It’s a beautiful and unusual object, and the little wyvern is very endearing! I would love to know what it was originally used for.
What is your favourite find from Nottinghamshire that has been recorded on the PAS database and why?
My current research is looking into the English coinages of William the Conqueror and William Rufus. So far only four coins of these two kings have been recorded from Nottinghamshire. Three of those coins are of the ‘PAXS’ type, which is the most common type of the series, however one (DUR-AA2FA6) is of the ‘Canopy’ type, which is a much rarer issue, and therefore really interesting to me, in terms of my project. It’s also one of the nicer coin types to look at, with the king wearing an elaborate crown and, unusually, shown under an architectural portico. It’s in lovely condition too!
