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An amateur treasure hunter searching his friend's farm with a metal detector has discovered the largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold.
The 1,345 items including gold and silver crosses, sword decorations and precious stones could rank as one of the most important finds in British history.
Experts believe it could net the finder, 55-year-old Terry Herbert, a “seven figure sum”.
Archeologists believe the haul could change our understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, who ruled England from the fifth century until the Norman conquest in 1066. Roger Bland, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, told an inquest in Staffordshire that the significance of it was “only beginning to dawn” on the small number of experts who have examined it.
Mr Bland told the coroner: “It is at least as significant as any of the major discoveries of this period.
“It is assumed that the items were buried by their owners at a time of danger with the intention of later coming back and recovering them.”
Mr Bland said the hoard — thought to date back to between 675 and 725AD — was unearthed in what was once the Kingdom of Mercia.
It was discovered by Mr Herbert in July on private farmland near his home in Staffordshire. It contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, far bigger than previous finds — including the Sutton Hoo burial site unearthed in 1939 in Suffolk.
It may take more than a year to value the collection, but Mr Herbert said he intends to split any reward 50/50 with his farmer friend, who owns the land. Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum's department of prehistory and Europe, said: “This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries.
“[It is] absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells.”
Many of the items are warfare paraphernalia, including sword pommel caps and hilt plates, often inlaid with precious stones. Some of the craftsmanship is so fine that experts believe it could have belonged to royalty.
Mr Herbert, from nearby Burntwood, found the gold on 5 July and spent the next five days scouring the field for the rest of the hoard. He said the experience had been “more fun than winning the lottery”, adding that one expert likened his discovery to finding Tutankhamun's tomb.
“Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like. I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items,” he added.
The hoard has been officially declared treasure by a coroner. It will now be valued and offered for sale to a museum. The find's exact location is being kept secret to deter looters.
Reader views (11)
I have heard Scottied Brown is busily trying to redidcover if he has any Anglo Saxon bood in his family Tree....ay and looks like this lot tried to stop the immigrants and died in the provess...our fate in our history ..the UK one big Trojan Horse for terrorists.
- Clif, London
How do we know it's genuine? He might have bought it all off eBay and just stuck in the ground and then pretended to find it?
- Jethro Penzance, Bodmin
Well done.
- Knowitall, London
What has this got to do do with the PM. Honestly can you have a dig at the man for every headline?. This vendetta is pathetic.Give criticism where it's due but remember this is "good news" so please don't try to to put a negative slant on everything.
- Tony Essex, Uk
Careful Brown doesn't get his hands on it, with the thought of the gold weaponry possessing some hidden
power to convert boring brown to flash Gordon.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark
McBroon, Mandy & Darling have already contacted Money4Gold and Goldforcash...
- Bigmaddog, barking
An excellent reminder of how much of British history revolves around immigration. Where would we be now if these economic migrants from Saxony had been told they weren't wanted here with their foreign languages and culture?
- Nolan, Londonist
Landowner and finder split reward 50:50
The hoard will be on display in Birmingham until the 13th and Brown won't get anywhere near it. Once it has been through the Treasure process, it is hoped a Museum can acquire it locally. Then it can go on display.
- Dp, London, UK
Will Mr. Herbert get some of the cash when these items are sold. I certainly hope so. Is there a law that gives him some of the value and where does the farmer who owns the land stand? I can't wait for an exhibition to open.
- Mj, East Anglia
A nice piece of early English history that hopefully will go on display one day.
- Stephend, London, England
DO NOT LET GORMLESS BROWN ANYWHERE NEAR THIS TREASURE - OTHERWISE HE WOULD BE LEGGING IT GOODSTYLE TO THE NEAREST PAWN SHOPPE.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
