Metal detectorist's 'mind-blowing' Mary, Queen of Scots 1500s coin - and other remarkable discoveries

The latest in the extraordinary finds of a Benbecula crofter and metal detectorist who is sewing together social, historical and cultural tales of his motherland through the treasure trove of items he’s found.

“It was one of the best things I have done in my life, to give Peggy her wedding ring back.”

Those were the words of Donald MacPhee shortly after digging the grave of the mother of his best friend, 89-year-old Peggy MacSween, who passed away last week.

A few years earlier, Mr MacPhee was able to reunite Mrs MacSween with her wedding ring after she lost it more than five decades ago. The ring had slipped off her finger while she was gathering potatoes in a field at her home in the Outer Hebrides in the 1970s.

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Mr MacPhee, a grandfather to three, crofter and builder on Benbecula, is a fervent metal detectorist.

Donald MacPhee, a crofter, builder and mad-keen metal detectorist from Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides | Donald MacPhee

After learning about the lost wedding ring in 2021, he took it upon himself to hunt down the golden band, which took three days to find.

“The minister did a eulogy at her service mentioning how happy Peggy was to receive her wedding ring back,” Mr MacPhee said.

The crofter, who is the owner of Nunton House Hostel on the island, hails the ring as his best find since starting the metal detecting hobby almost a decade ago.

Nunton House Hostel on Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides | Katharine Hay

But his latest discovery on the island - a Mary, Queen of Scots coin - is just as extraordinary as the long lost wedding ring for the crofter.

A 16th century coin from the period when Mary Queen of Scots was married to Francis II of France which Mr MacPhee found with his metal detector on his croft on Benbecula | Donald MacPhee

The finding on the island, he said, is not only unique, but also poses many questions about the coin’s history and why it was dropped on the land that is now home to his croft and Nunton House.

“Peggy’s ring and this latest coin are definitely my best finds by a way, just for different reasons,” he said. “To find this coin in Nunton is absolutely mind blowing. The ring was more personal.”

The late Peggy MacSween's wedding ring photographed when it was found by Mr MacPhee 50 years after she lost it | Donald MacPhee

The version of the coin dates back to 1559. In 1558, Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 16, was married to Francis II of France when he was 14. The tying of the knot was part of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France that dated back to 1295.

Mary Queen of Scots depicted during the period she was held in captivity around Sheffield with the newly-decoded letters written during this period. | CC

Less than two years later, the young king died from an ear infection in 1560.

The coin Mr MacPhee unearthed is a rare piece from a collection said to have only been minted for 12 months in Edinburgh over the time the young royals were married.

The coin, called a billon lion or hardhead, is 14mm in diameter and is marked with the monogram M F - Mary and Francis - as a nod to the two monarchs at the time.

A dolphin can be seen to the top left to represent the Dauphin of France, which refers to the eldest son of the French king, and heir to the throne. It is little wonder the crofter remains dedicated to his metal detecting hobby, during which he is always joined by his spaniel, Fergus.

Mr MacPhee with his dog, Fergus, who is always seen by his side when he's out and about metal detecting | Donald MacPhee

“I love finding the history behind each item and its local significance about why it’s here and how did it end up here,” he said. “It just goes to show the history of the island is a lot more varied than we might have thought through simply finding these things.

“The Mary, Queen of Scots coin predates Nunton House by about 100 years.”

Another recent unusual discovery for the crofter was digging up a rare Dutch coin from the 17th century near a loch outside his house. It is believed to have been minted in Batenburg, the Netherlands, between 1618 and 1624.

The find is a historical link to New Amsterdam, which is now what we know as New York, before it was taken over by the British.

“It’s a wee tiny coin called a Duit and it's known as the New York penny,” Mr MacPhee said. “In 1626, the Dutch bought Manhattan off the Indians for 60 gilders. They paid them with these exact pennies.

The Dutch Duit that left Mr MacPhee stunned when he unearthed it near a loch on his croft | Donald MacPhee

“It’s a tiny wee penny. I found it randomly 12 inches down near a loch. It does make you think what is it doing here? Why is it on Benbecula?"

Just weeks before, Mr MacPhee found a Jacobite rose button. The historic item features a rose, a symbol of the Jacobite movement.

The Jacobite rose button found by Mr MacPhee on Benbecula, said to have likely been worn by someone showing their support for the Stewarts during the Jacobite uprisings. | Donald MacPhee

It is a rare find and one highly sought after by collectors, so much so the Treasure Trove may be holding onto it, Mr MacPhee said.

Nunton House already has links to Jacobite history, with claims that Charles Edward Stewart, aka Bonnie Prince Charlie, was dressed as a woman in the property before setting sail to Skye when in hiding.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart, or Bonnie Prince Charlie, found deep loyalty to the Jacobite cause in Montrose and the surrounding countryside. PIC: CC | CC

The move to disguise the Young Pretender as Flora MacDonald’s maid was to help the Jacobite, who had tried to restore the Stewarts to the throne, escape the British forces after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

The crofter said he remains stunned by the treasure trove he has found on the small island in the north Atlantic he calls home.

Mr MacPhee said among the findings, he has at least 50 special coins of note. “I don’t understand how I keep finding these, no one does,” he said.

“You'd think I am buying these items on eBay and planting them.”

A spokesperson for the Treasure Trove said: “In Scotland, archaeological finds must be reported to the Treasure Trove Unit (TTU). The role of the Scottish treasure trove system is to record archaeological finds and preserve the most significant objects in public collections.

“A coin and a button found by a metal detectorist were recently reported to the Treasure Trove Unit. Through collaboration with Museum nan Eilean Lionacleit, TTU is working to research these finds and their significance to the local community on Benbecula.”

TTU said the lion coin is a common coin in Scotland and was worth one and a half pence. The Jacobite rose button, it said, was probably on clothing such as a man’s coat, and whoever wore it would have been making a very visible statement about their Stuart sympathies around the time of the Jacobite events.