This hoard of material is made up of four complete gold finger rings, part of a gold cloisonné brooch, a piece of gold ingot, and a lead spindle whorl.

Pieces of such high quality from the Anglo-Saxon period are extremely rare, and no objects like these have ever been found in Leeds before. Given their quality, the finds probably belonged to individuals of high social standing. This sheds an interesting light on our understanding of early Anglo-Saxon history, thought previously to consist mainly of decline and social collapse. Elite metalwork objects like the earliest finds in this collection overturn the old view and hint instead at the existence of robust social hierarchies and international chains of trade and influence. The Friends of Leeds City Museums and The Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society launched a campaign to keep this spectacular and historic hoard of golden treasure in Leeds. This hoard was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.

Provenance

Discovered with a metal detector in East Leeds in two groups declared treasure September 2008 and April 2009.


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