Half-penny coin

George III half-penny coin, 1799, from the fourth floor of Decker Mill at Murrays' Mills in Ancoats, East Manchester, found during the archaeological survey of the site.

This coin is likely to have been deliberately concealed during the original construction of building at Murrays' Mills in Ancoats, East Manchester, to bring luck or prosperity, following a long-standing folklore tradition.

Murrays’ Mills is one of the oldest surviving steam-powered cotton spinning mill complexes. First established in Ancoats in 1797 by scottish brothers George and Adam Murray, it became, along with neighbouring McConnel and Kennedy mills, one of the largest industrial complexes of its time, reflecting Ancoats’ development into the first industrial suburb.