As we reflect on marking one hundred years since the Armistice treaty was signed, we’re reminded about the mystery of the coins at The Crown in Hartest…

When you enter The Crown, take a look at the beam just above the fireplace on your left and you will see 26 coins and tokens. These were put there by the village men before they left for war. Exactly why they were left there is unclear. One theory is that they were left there for luck – a couple of the coins are inside a horseshoe so this is certainly a possibility. Another theory (and this is our favourite) is that they were left as a promise that the soldiers in question would collect the coins on their return and buy their first pint in the pub. Of course, not all of them returned…

If you want to know more, you can listen to a group of local historians discussing the coins on BBC Radio:

Listen to the radio discussion on BBC Radio

We’ll never know exactly why the coins were left on the beam but we thank those brave men and those coins are a real part of our history. 100 years. Lest we forget.