YOU might not expect to dig up a Roman hoard in Hunderton, but in the 1950s, one Herefordshire homeowner did just that.
With thousands of years of history, hundreds of intriguing glimpses into the past have been found lurking just below the surface by farmers and metal detectorists over the years, and they are all listed by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Here are eight of the hoards found in Herefordshire over the years:
Photo: Birmingham city museums
Two metal detectorists discovered these four rib decorated late Bronze Age socketed axes and a sword fragment in Pencoyd in August 2005.
Dating to 950 to 750 BC, the axes were of types found in north and south Wales.
Deemed to be of regional importance, the axes are now in the possession of a museum.
A large hoard of late Roman coins were discovered at Bishop's Wood, near Ross-on-Wye, in 1895.
The hidden trove was found by workmen, who discovered a large earthenware jar in which the coins were placed while repairing a road. Further broken jars and scattered coins were found nearby.
The hoard contained more than 17,550 coins, but reports from the time state that others were found by schoolchildren and others early the next morning and were scattered through the neighbourhood.
Leintwardine hoard. Photo: Portable Antiquities Scheme
24 silver denarii were found by a metal detectorist in a field in a heavily cultivated field in Leintwardine during the 2010s.
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The coins, dating from AD 58 to AD 59 were spread over a considerable distance and found piecemeal over a period of about 6 months.
They are currently at Hereford City Museum.
Currently held by the Hereford City Museum, the Stretton Sugwas hoard, comprising 125 Constantinian coins, was found between January 1, 1950, and December 31, 1965.
A hoard of more than 2,800 coins was found by a farmer ploughing a field at Hill Farm, Llangarren, in December 1912.
The coins were contained in a pot between parallel rows of stones.
Purchased in 1926, the coins are now in the possession of Hereford City Museum.
Bronze Age axe. Photo: Portable Antiquities Scheme
Two early Bronze Age flat axes dating to circa 2,200 to 1,900 BC were found by a metal detectorist in a Herefordshire field.
The undecorated bronze axes were both damaged but near-complete and were acquired by a museum after being deemed as being of regional importance.
A small hoard was dug up in the garden of 40 Merryhill Crescent in Hunderton in 1953.
The eight-copper alloy coin hoard, thought to be Constantinian, is currently located at Hereford City Museum.
Aston Ingham (addenda) Roman hoard
This hoard of 48 coins was discovered in October 2006. Currently at the Hereford City Museum, the copper alloy hoard dates from AD 330 to AD 335.
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