BBC - A History of the World - Object : Late Medieval leather purse

Late Medieval leather purse

Hide image caption
Show image caption

Found in the late 1930s during the demolition of Coventry's medieval streets. It was on Butcher Row, which would once have been a popular shopping area.

The purse has holes along the top, and a leather thong or rings would have connected these to a purse bar, which hooked onto your belt. It's made of a very frail material, possibly calf or sheepskin, and it's been darned and still has a sizeable hole in it, so it would have been easy to lose your money- perhaps that's why so many Medieval coins are found today!

You had to be quite wealthy to even own a purse- the 'plebs', if they had any coins at all, would have carried them by other means.

Comments are closed for this object

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC or the British Museum. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.