Archaeology

Scaffolding on the ruins of Furness Abbey in Barrow is allowing experts the chance to examine parts of the structure that haven't been seen for 60 years, or in some cases 600 years.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Masons' marks, made by workers to ensure they were paid, and "significant wooden carvings" have been discovered high on the former Abbey church.

The scaffolding was put up as part of work to stop the ruins slowing sinking into the ground, but Juliet Fellow-Smith, from English Heritage, says what is being found on the towering tops of the walls is "incredibly exciting".

Quote Message: Our experts, our curators, have been able to come face-to-face with aspects of the abbey that no one has seen that closely since the Middle Ages, they're getting face-to-face with the gargoyles and the angels." from Juliet Fellow-Smith

Our experts, our curators, have been able to come face-to-face with aspects of the abbey that no one has seen that closely since the Middle Ages, they're getting face-to-face with the gargoyles and the angels."

A rare 12th Century coin discovered in North Yorkshire is expected to fetch up to £15,000 when it goes under the hammer next month.

Dix Noonan WebbCopyright: Dix Noonan Webb

The silver penny, which was issued in York by Baron Eustace Fitzjohn, was found by metal detectorist Rob Brown, from Leeds, in August.

Auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb say the coin is one of only 20 surviving examples with this design and is estimated to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000.

Baron Eustace Fitzjohn was the Lord of Malton and Knaresborough and served under King Henry I before supporting the Empress Matilda in a 20-year civil war against her cousin Stephen, a period known as The Anarchy.

Dix Noonan WebbCopyright: Dix Noonan Webb

Nigel Mills, expert in artefacts and antiquities at Dix Noonan Webb, said: “Baron Eustace Fitzjohn was a Justician of the North and became a great monastic patron.

"He was, to some extent, the Baron Alan Sugar of his day, coming from a humble background but achieving great wealth and prominence.

"As it was a period of civil war, Baron Fitzjohn had the authority to have coins struck in York which were primarily for local use.”

The coin will be put up for auction on 3 November.