THE BLOXIDGE TALLYGRAPH

Part of The Staffordshire Hoard, reproduced courtesy of the photographers Dave Rowan and Daniel Buxton under the aegis of Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery.

Dateline:  27 September 2009

An extraordinary, history-making addition to England’s heritage has been found by a member of the Bloxwich Research and Metal Detecting Club.  

Fifty-five year old Mr Terry Herbert, a resident of Burntwood in Staffordshire, discovered the UK’s largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver while searching in a field on Johnson’s Farm near Brownhills, Walsall, back in July. The nearest discovery of precious metals of the period in terms of quantity and quality is that of the burial site excavated in 1939 at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, where less than 2.2kg of gold was recovered.

The now-named ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ includes up to 1,500 items, around 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, reportedly dated to the 7th century and potentially worth a sum in six figures. But the artistic and historical importance of the new find far outweighs its monetary value. The discovery is made even more interesting, and surprising, because little treasure of this kind has been found in Staffordshire until now.  Expert Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum's Department of Prehistory and Europe, has described the discovery as "Absolutely the metalwork equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells."

Mr. Herbert, a metal-detecting enthusiast for eighteen years, lives alone in a Burntwood council flat on disability benefits. Almost as astonishing as his discovery is the fact that he made it using a battered metal detector which he purchased fourteen years ago at a car boot sale for just £2.50. His find, which has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown, will certainly enable Mr. Herbert to buy a new detector, as he may yet become a millionaire as a result.  The farmer on whose land the find was made is expected to share equally in any funds eventually awarded.

Since the discovery, the hoard has been painstakingly extracted by Staffordshire and Birmingham archaeologists with some assistance from the police, before a selection of the finest items was put on public display in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Friday, causing unprecedented hordes of excited and enthusiastic visitors (amongst them, the Edditer of The Bloxidge Tallygraph!) to queue up to see the hoard (pic, right, SW).  

The find appears to largely comprise of an exquisitely-crafted hoard of scrapped gold, silver and garnet, including crucifixes, sword or dagger pommels, bosses and fittings plus helmet plates, semi-precious stones and possible shield decorations - primarily military items.  It is likely that the items may have been taken as the spoils of battle back in the 7th century when the area was part of the Kingdom of Mercia.  There are no blades or complete helmets associated with the find; quality sword blades would certainly have been re-used and might be worth as much as the gold at the time.  

While there is much more still to extracted from blocks of earth and months if not years of cleaning and cataloguing work yet to be done, the light the treasure will shed on the so-called dark ages, especially in our area, will be invaluable to historians, who believe it will transform understanding of early Anglo-Saxon political, religious, economic and cultural history.  It will certainly be debated for decades.

What is also being debated is who will eventually have the privilege of storing and putting the hoard on display.  Already a lively and controversial tug-of-war of opinion has ensued over whether The Staffordshire Hoard should be kept in Staffordshire (perhaps in Lichfield or Stoke-on-Trent), Birmingham or even London.  The question will inevitably come down to who can afford to provide the necessary display and research facilities, conservation and secure storage.

Whichever, the project is currently proceeding under the aegis of a partnership consisting of Staffordshire County Council, Birmingham City Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, English Heritage, the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and the University of Birmingham/Birmingham Archaeology.  The team primarily credited include the discoverer, Terry Herbert; Ian Wykes, Staffordshire County Council; Steve Dean, Staffordshire County Council; Dr Roger Bland OBE, British Museum/Portable Antiquities Scheme; Duncan Slarke, Portable Antiquities Scheme; Dr Kevin Leahy, Portable Antiquities Scheme; Deb Klemperer, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery; and Bill Klemperer, English Heritage.

Selected items from The Staffordshire Hoard are on display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square until 13 October.  The finds will then go to the British Museum in London for valuation.

For further details of the hoard, see:  http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk

and the archaeological photography of the items so far has been posted on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finds/sets/72157622378376316/

Contact details for Bloxwich Research and Metal Detecting Club may be found here.

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