200-year-old coin unearthed at castle

A piece of history has been once again been unearthed at Carrickfergus Castle with the discovery of a 200-year-old coin.
1805 halfpenny discovered at Carrickfergus Castle.1805 halfpenny discovered at Carrickfergus Castle.
1805 halfpenny discovered at Carrickfergus Castle.

The coin was found last month during ongoing work to replace the roof of the keep at the medieval landmark.

Dated 1805, it has been identified as a half-penny - equal to 1/480 of pound.

It was discovered at the bottom of a thick deposit within the former east window of the removed fourth floor of the keep.

The additional floor and the associated windows were in use during the 19th century; they were later put out of use and walled up around 1930.

"The coin is in fairly good condition, one face more than the other," said archaeologist Dr Chiara Botturi of the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division.

Work on the £1m refurbishment project at Carrick Castle began at the end of 2018, progressing to a second phase in the summer as the new roof began to take shape.