Celebrities rally to help save Hoard

13 January 2010

Historians Dr David Starkey and Dr Tristram Hunt and broadcaster Tony Robinson are among the stellar supporters fronting the fundraising campaign to raise £3.3million to help save the spectacular Staffordshire Hoard for the nation. The Hoard – a glittering array of over 1,500 pieces of ornately decorated gold and silver dating from the Anglo Saxon period – was found in a field in Staffordshire late last year.

The Art Fund charity is leading the fundraising effort to save the Hoard. Campaigners have just 13 weeks to raise the money needed to save it for the nation to enjoy.

Dr David Starkey is an eminent historian and broadcaster, well known for his TV series on Henry VIII and the monarchy. He said: "Archaeological finds don't come any bigger than this. The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest and most valuable collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever; it's the most important find for over half a century, and, in terms of the history of Middle England, the most important ever. But break it up or move it and its meaning is lost. It must stay here, together and intact, to be studied and displayed here in the West Midlands, the foundation of whose history it will now become."

Dr Tristram Hunt is Lecturer in History at Queen Mary University, London, and is also a broadcaster and columnist for the Guardian and Observer. He said: “The significance of this Hoard can not be overplayed. It is this type of find that changes the teaching of the past almost overnight. These treasures with their eagle miniatures, biblical inscriptions and thousands of inlaid garnets, show a kingdom replete with affluence and cultural confidence. We have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure that future generations
have ready access to an incredible insight into Mercian identity and heritage. All we have to do now is raise the money.”

Tony Robinson, who presents the popular archaeology programme ‘Time Team’ commented: "To unearth such a collection of gold and silver is like something out of Indiana Jones. The hoard throws up so many questions - who owned it? Who buried it? Why? Once it's been properly examined there's little doubt it will reveal countless stories about our ancestors' lives in the so-called Dark Ages - but before we can begin to unravel its secrets we have to save it!"

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