Retired police officer discovers 1,000-year-old Viking treasure including gold bracelet during metal detector hunt

A VIKING jewellery hoard likely to be worth several thousands pounds has been discovered in the Isle of Man

The stunning rare collection of 1,000-year-old gold and silver includes a gold arm ring and a massive silver brooch dating back to 950 AD.

Retired police officer, Kath Giles, unearthed the "internationally significant" hoard on farm land in the north of the island

The amateur dectectorist said she immediately knew she had found "something very special" and was "thrilled" at the discovery.

"I knew straight away that it was a significant and exciting find. I'm so thrilled to have found artefacts that are not only so important, but so beautiful," she said.

If items are legally classified as treasure, they belong to the crown and the finder is rewarded.

Manx National Heritage's curator of archaeology Allison Fox said the arm ring in particular was a "rare find", as silver was a far more common commodity for trading during the Viking era.

She explained: "The arm ring, brooch and cut armband are all high-status personal ornaments and represent a large amount of accumulated wealth.

"Finding just one of these items would be of significance. The fact that all were found together suggests that whoever buried them was extremely wealthy and probably felt immediately and acutely threatened."

The exact is worth of the hoard has not yet been determined, but similar items of Viking jewellery have been valued at £1,500 each.

The discovery was unearth in December, but only now revealed and declared declared treasure in an inquest at Douglas Courthouse.

Discoveries of archaeological interest on the island must be reported to Manx National Heritage within two weeks.

A larger hoard of Viking treasure found in Lancashire in 2011 was valued at £110,000.




 

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