The Mint Opened by a Usurper

The Imperial Soil as Told by a Pot

In 2010, in Somerset, South West England, a large pot emerged from the ground. It was packed with 52,503 Roman coins. Named the Frome Hoard, this find, one of the largest in Britain, does not tell us why it was buried and never recovered, or what happened to its owner.

What is certain, however, is that beneath the fields and plains of this island lies the age of the Empire. And this pot contained a vast number of coins from the third century, the period of our story. The number 52,503 is also a silent ledger, showing just how deeply coinage had penetrated the island.

The Emperor Born of the Channel

Towards the end of the third century, the period indicated by the pot, the stage for our story is the channel separating Britain and Gaul. The wealth of the provinces, the pay of the legions—all crossed this grey sea. A man named Carausius was appointed commander of the channel fleet, tasked with guarding these waters. He who holds the fleet, holds the channel. And he who holds the channel, holds the island. Eventually, he would realize the meaning of this.

Around 286, Carausius raised the standard of revolt. With the fleet in his hands, he brought the island of Britain and a part of northern Gaul under his control and proclaimed himself emperor. To Rome, he was a usurper. However, the channel itself became a rampart, and they could not immediately subdue the rebel across the sea.

The First Mint of London

For a usurper with no legitimate lineage or Roman approval, coinage became a tool of governance. Coins bearing his own name were the best means of making his rule visible. To this end, he opened a full-fledged mint in Londinium—present-day London.

This is the first period on record that coins were struck in London. The history of minting in this city, later to be known to the world as a financial capital, was begun not by a legitimate emperor, but by the hand of a single usurper. The coins were marked with mint marks such as ML, indicating to this day where the money was struck.

Speaking and Fighting with Coinage

The coinage of Carausius was more than just a means of payment. He went so far as to quote verses from the poet Virgil in the coin legends, turning a single coin into a medium of propaganda to assert his own legitimacy.

Those who overthrew him responded with the same weapon. In 293, Carausius was assassinated by his subordinate Allectus, and in 296, Constantius I recaptured Britain. The "Arras Medallion," celebrating this victory, praised the recapture of London with the words "restorer of the eternal light." Both the usurper and the legitimate empire spoke and fought with coinage.

The London mint continued to operate into the subsequent Constantinian dynasty but was closed in the 320s.