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The discovery of the hoard
In July of 2009 a metal detectorist, Mr Terry Herbert, made a startling discovery in a field in Staffordshire. The Staffordshire Hoard, as it came to be known, aroused international interest following the coroner's inquest in September 2009 at which the discovery was first made known to the media. This short paper does not seek to tell the comprehensive story of the hoard; rather it seeks to outline the circumstances of the discovery and recovery of the hoard and to summarize its historical context.
The findspot (fig 1) - adjoining the A5 Watling Street Roman road, approximately 3.5km to the west of Wall (the Roman settlement of Letocetum) - is now common knowledge. Positioned on the north-western spur of a ridge visible from the road within farmland that has been intermittently ploughed and laid to a variety of crops, at the time of the discovery the findspot was laid to horse pasture. Mr Herbert had obtained written permission to be on the land and had agreed in advance (again in writing) with the landowner that any financial reward gained from objects found would be divided equally.
Fig 1
Site location. Drawing: Nigel Dodds, © Birmingham Archaeology
After finding several gold objects on Sunday 5 July 2009, the finder told the landowner of his discovery and continued to detect in the area for another five days. During this time he recovered approximately 500 items, ranging in size from the cheek-piece of a helmet, a folded cross and numerous sword pommels, down to small strips of gold weighing less than one gramme. The finder correctly determined that the material was not coming from a surviving feature but was instead lying within the plough soil and sometimes on the surface. Duncan Slarke, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) officer for Staffordshire, was informed and he and the Principal Archaeologist agreed that this represented a significant hoard of Anglo-Saxon material. A meeting was therefore arranged at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (where the finds were being stored) to discuss an appropriate strategy.
The Methodology
At this meeting, with Bill Klemperer, FSA, and Lisa Moffett of English Heritage present, it was determined that further exploratory work was required and...