Some of the items which make up The Staffordshire Hoard. Pic: Portable Antiquities Scheme
Some of the items which make up The Staffordshire Hoard. Pic: Portable Antiquities Scheme

A field Lichfield where a unique collection of Anglo Saxon gold was discovered are to be searched once more.

It has been confirmed that a team of archaeologists is to return to the site where the Staffordshire Hoard was found to try to discover why the 1,500 artefacts were left there.

Staffordshire County Archaeologist Steve Dean will be working with Birmingham Archaeology to try and solve the mystery.

Steve said:

“We know there is no more gold on the site. What we want to find is the context of why it was left. This includes what the landscape was like at the time and what other natural or man made features there are in this area.”

Staffordshire County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet member for Communities and Culture, added:

“This amazing treasure has astounded archaeological experts not only in this country but internationally and we want to piece together its past as accurately as possible.

“The very last thing anyone expects to find, however, is any more gold. This is the least likely field in Staffordshire to contain gold – it has been searched so thoroughly.”

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.

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Jean Dean
14 years ago

This is Northumbrian treasure captured at the battle of Hatfield Chase from King Edwin. The Kentish items were given to him by his wife and the East Anglian items came from King Raedwald his guardian during his exile. The bracelet with the text probably comes from King Oswald who was killed by the Mercians at the battle of Maserfield. The items were most likely to be buried when Penda was defeated by King Oswui in 655. The similarity between the objects and Saint Cuthberts cross which is in Durham Cathedral are obvious.

Freddy
14 years ago

How do you know all this when the people with the responsiblity for the hoard can’t say much at all about it with any certainty?

Is it a big conspiracy like that proper real world not made up even a little bit conspiracy that eminent historian Daren Brown told us about?

You need to be careful, you know too much. They’ll silence you.

Ailric
14 years ago

The treasure is most certainly Northumbrian and yes was gathered over a period of decades by King Penda and his Welsh Allies under Cadwallon and Cynddylan. The reason the Historians are reluctant to reveal too much is because King Penda was a Heathen honouring the ‘old Gods’ such as Woden and Thunor. He was a man of honour and led Mercia in the Heathen ways with dignity and love. Christianity cannot accept Heathenism as being a better way of life than theirs, so all we read is silly stories of how the ‘loot’ was stolen by bloodthirsty warlords and the like. Notably the world has been obsessed with the monetary value of the Hoard, as a practicing Heathen living in the locality it is the site itself that is important and I believe this new dig is to try to shed some light on religious practices of our Heathen Ancesters in a time laughingly called the dark ages!

john charles
13 years ago

thas a nutter 

Stuart Davies
13 years ago

Ailric, the reasons the historians are reluctant to reveal the story behind the hoard is…because thy can’t. I would suggest however the hoard was collected in “one go” as apposed to over an extended campaign, alot of the pieces seem to form a set, in particular the pommel caps, most of them have been made by the same craftsman to a uniform pattern. From my time spent working with the hoard I have formed the same conclusion as you and Jean, this is King Edwin of Northumbrias treasure, taken as a trophy by King Penda of Meria, I don’t know if you can really label him “a man of honour” though, seems abit romantic for what were essentially glorified football hooligans.

BrownhillsBob
13 years ago

I don’t suppose you’d care to elaborate on your connection with the hoard, would you?

Yours curiously

Bob

Jean Dean
13 years ago

In 1985 I visited Alpbach in Austria and found that the local church was dedicated to St. Oswald. Since then I have researched Northumbrian history to establish the connection. I am only an amateur historian with no university education.
I have visited the British Museum and listened to a lecture by Leslie Webster and put my views to her which she neither agreed or disagreed with. Best wishes Jean

Freddy
13 years ago

Did you find a connection or was the church dedicated to the Oswald The Archbishop of York?

Stuart Davies
13 years ago

The church in Alpbach is dedicated to the Northumbrian king, not the Archbishop. The scottish and irish monks who converted the area bought the name of Oswald with them and he is now the patron saint of that church. No other connection.

Brownhillsbob, I am a free lance historian employed by both Birmingham and Stoke museums as a guide/interpretor of the context and meaning on the hoard to any member of the public who cares to listen to me dribble on about it ;)

Ailric
13 years ago

John Charles will no doubt label me a nutter again, but no matter! My link to the hoard is on a spiritual level, being of the same faith of Penda. The find of the hoard was announced to us prior to it being announced to the world as Penda is one of our great heroes & last year we were engaged in a series of religous rites specifically for him. We have used people with psychic and mystical skills and through our researches believe when Jean made her original post on this blog she had pretty much got it spot on! The treasure was gathered over a period of decades from Penda’s campaigns with his ‘Welsh’ allies against Christian opponents such as Edwin, Sigerbert, Oswald, Anna & Oswiu. The items buried are pretty much ‘crown jewels’ from those dynasties, i.e not usuable items or household things. We believe these ‘trinkets’ were offered to the Gods in tribute, they have no value to us at all other than as spoils of war. The site chosen is what integes us as it is surrounded by many significant Heathen religious sites. Call me a nutter if you want, like the 50,000 who gathered in a Birmingham park to hear the ramblings of an old German man who many call ‘Pope’, but we do our work in the locality of the Hoard field in direct communion to our fallen brother King Penda of Mercia!

Stuart Davies
13 years ago

Like I said, the items are almost certainly from one collection, 7th Century war gear tends to be fairly individualistic, 80% of the pommel caps are part of a set. I doubt you heard about the hoard much before anyone else did because the museums did not know about it much before, and they were the ones housing it!
All of the items are usuable, they are war gear. What kind of king would you be if you didn’t use your best gear for smiting your enemies? Read Beowulf for examples of “gold” and “ancient” weapons being used in battle. I don’t know what you class as “heathen” religious sites because there isn’t a single known heaten (anglo-Saxon) site in England so I assume it’s some sort of new-age pagan thing, which is not the same as what the saxons practised..because we do not know anything about pagan anglo-saxon rituals. It’s placement seems fairly in keeping, on a hill,next to a roman road on the road leading into Tamworth. Perfect place to put a war memorial, it’s also about half a mile from “Oflow” or Offas Low, reputed site of the Mercian Kings final resting place, if Offa was buried there stands a good chance that other Mercian kings were too, sort of the Sutton Hoo of the Mercians.

Freddy
13 years ago

Is it mushroom season Ailric?