A HOARD of gold coins found in the county which dates back more than 500 years is to go on show at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum.

The coins, which were minted between 1470 and 1526, were found near Burford three years ago and have been bought by the institution for £280,000.

It raised half the cash from private donations and secured the rest from public funding.

The museum has announced the 210 English gold ‘angels’ and ‘half-angel’ coins will go on display from March.

Museum director Dr Christopher Brown said: “We are extremely grateful to the individuals and funding bodies for their very generous contributions towards this remarkable hoard.

“Not only will the hoard be a great addition to our renow-ned collection but it makes a significant contribution to the history of Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, and to our understanding of the production and circulation of gold coinage in the early Tudor period.”

The hoard was discovered in the summer of 2007 during building work in the village of Asthall.

The coins were declared Treasure Trove in April this year and then analysed by the Treasure Valuation Committee in August.

Some rare pieces are among the collection, most significantly from the reign of kings Henry VI (1470-1471) and Richard III (1483-1485).

Experts believe the coins, unearthed on land which belonged to Eton College at the turn of the 16th century, could be linked to the hiding of church money when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries or a fortune made by a wealthy merchant.

Angels and half-angel coins were first minted in 1465.

Bearing the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon, they supposedly depict the overthrow of the House of Lancaster by by the House of York during the Wars of the Roses.

Following conservation work, the hoard will go on display in a special exhibition in the Ashmolean’s new Money Gallery.

Museum bosses said it would become a “key part of the museum’s permanent collection of coins, one of the leading currency collections in the world.”

Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund, which provided a large tranche of the cash, Dame Jenny Abramsky, said: “This is clearly an inspirational collection.

“That it has now been saved for future generations to enjoy is testament to how private philanthropy, Government funds such as the National Heritage Memorial Fund and public funding bodies can effectively come together to secure our most important heritage treasures.”