What is the Staffordshire Hoard?

In July 2009, Terry Herbert, a metal detector enthusiast decided to try his luck in farmland close to his home near Lichfield, Staffordshire. The items he discovered – over 1,500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia - amount to the most valuable treasure hoard ever discovered in the UK, worth £3.3 million.
 

Following the beeps of his metal detector, Mr Herbert began to dig. He soon unearthed various gold objects, all buried in the plough soil. A member of the local metal-detecting club, he reported his finds to Duncan Slarke, the local officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which encourages the public to report archaeological finds. It was soon revealed that the items date to the 7th century – when England was under Anglo-Saxon rule.

Slarke recalls his reaction to seeing the find for the first time: “Nothing could have prepared me for that. I saw boxes full of gold, items exhibiting the very finest Anglo-Saxon workmanship. It was breathtaking.”

In secret, a team of experts – including archaeologists, a flying squad from the British Museum, and a special team from the Home Office who usually deal with crime forensics – arrived at the Staffordshire site. No one had seen anything like it, and some were moved to tears.

By 24 September, the final pieces of what has become known as the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ were unearthed – amounting to an awe-inspiring collection of over 1,500 items.

On 26 November, the expert valuation was confirmed at £3.3million – exceeding the initial, tentative estimate of £1million. In total, the Staffordshire Hoard is made up of 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver – topping the record set by the treasures unearthed in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, in 1938, which included 2kg of gold.

On 13 January 2010, the Art Fund launched a public campaign to raise the £3.3 million needed to save the Staffordshire Hoard. The Fund kicked-started the campaign with a £300,000 grant and £100,000 each from Birmingham City Council and Stoke City Council; but with £500,000 in the pot, there was still a further £2.8 million to find by the 17 April deadline.

Public support far outstretched expectations as over £660,000 came in to the Art Fund via its members and supports, a further £240,000 via donors and donation boxes, and Trusts and Foundations stumped up a further £600,000. The National Heritage Memorial Fund, the government’s fund of last resort for heritage items at risk, stepped in on 23 March and closed the campaign with a grant of £1,285,000. Now that the Hoard has been secured for the two acquiring museums, a wider fundraising campaign target of £1.7 million in underway for the Hoard’s conservation and research. You can donate to the wider campaign here.

Where did it come from?

Hoards of coins and other precious-metal objects are usually found in a way which suggests
they were buried by their owners at a time when they felt under threat.

But in this case, archaeologists cannot yet find a trace of a grave, building or anything else that suggests a calculated burial of the objects for later recovery.

Because of this, and the fact that the Hoard contains no ‘feminine’ items such as dress fittings, brooches or pendants, there is speculation that it could have been war bounty, seized from vanquished enemies by the victorious.

Various objects also appear to have been ripped from other objects, supporting the idea that they were seized in battle. However, it cannot yet be confirmed whether the Hoard was the spoils of a single battle or a long, fruitful military career.

During the Anglo-Saxon era, Staffordshire was part of the kingdom of Mercia – one of Britain’s largest and most aggressive kingdoms, stretching from Humber to London. Its belligerent Kings and chieftains waged brief but ferocious battles.

Three Christian crosses in the Hoard have been bent into folds, as had a strip of gold with a biblical inscription in Latin, “Rise up, O Lord, and may they enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face” - the kind of message which may have been favoured by an ancient warrior.

But other evidence suggests that the Hoard represents a royal treasury. The many swords and other war implements it contains implies that it formed a kind of arsenal, provided by kings to young warriors joining their service.

Dr Kevin Leahy, who has been cataloguing the find for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, said it was a “truly remarkable collection”. He added that “all the archaeologists who’ve worked with it have been awe-struck”.

According to Dr Leahy the provenance of the Hoard, and how it came to be buried in Staffordshire, “will be debated for decades”.
 

What will happen to the Hoard?

The Hoard has been acquired jointly by two key museums in the region: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery via Birmingham City Council and The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent via Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Both museums are also working with their partners, Staffordshire County Council, Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council. But we need your help to make the acquisition possible.

Now it has been secured, the Hoard will go on display at the two museums so that visitors from all over the UK – and beyond – can marvel at the treasures it contains.

Experts will  now dedicate themselves to studying the treasure in detail – a job that could take decades. It is predicted that the Hoard will bring to light many unknown details about the so-called ‘Dark Ages’.

Read more about the Staffordshire Hoard
 

Staffordshire Hoard booklet

If you would like to know more about the Staffordshire Hoard, a booklet is available for sale on this website, when you make a donation.

The Staffordshire Hoard, by Kevin Leahy and Roger Bland costs £4.99

It tells the story of the discovery, describes the hoard and what it contains, and offers initial interpretation of the treasure and its significance. Close-up photographs show intricate details and consummate craftsmanship

What’s more, £1 from the sale of every book will go to the Staffordshire Hoard appeal fund.