A detective found a unique silver Viking brooch. Only two similar brooches are known in Europe

An extremely rare 9th century Viking brooch was discovered near Kelvedon in Essex in the autumn of 2023 using a metal detector. It has now been declared a treasure. It is the first example of its kind in England. Only a few examples are known in the whole of Europe.

The discovery initially caused puzzlement among experts: "I have searched various catalogues and databases, but no one has been able to place the find in any historicalperiod," said Lori Rogerson, Essex Archaeological Finds Liaison Officer. The breakthrough came when she compared the brooch with fragments from the famous Viking hoard from Cuerdale, discovered in 1840 in northern England.

The Kelvedon silver brooch measures 25mm x 20mm and weighs about nine grams. It has been folded in half in the past, which initially made it difficult to identify accurately. The upper part of the brooch is decorated with distinctive spherical projections wrapped with precisely shaped cord wire. The stylistic details point to Carolingian and Merovingian origins in the area of present-day France and the Benelux, specifically in the Meuse and Lower Rhine basins.

The find has provided key evidence for the presence of Vikingers in this part of Essex, where archaeologists have so far found only minor hints of their activities. Previous discoveries dating from the late 19th century had consisted only of Danish coins and fragments of gold objects with Anglo-Saxon runes. "The newly discovered brooch is the first substantial evidence of Viking activity at the site," Rogerson added.

The significance of the find is enhanced by the fact that similarly decorated brooches have previously only been discovered as fragments in the aforementioned Cuerdale hoard, which contained over 8,600 pieces of silver artefacts, coins and ingots. Only two complete examples of this type of brooch are known - one from Denmark and the other from Domburg in the Netherlands. A lead replica has been found at the famous Viking settlement of Coppergate in York.

The find also sheds new light on the strategic importance of the River Blackwater, which witnessed the famous Battle of Maldon in 991. It played an important role as a navigable route for Viking ships. "We know that they sailed the Blackwater during the Battle of Maldon in 991 AD, so the site of the find must have been strategically important," she concluded.

The brooch will be valued by an expert panel after detailed examination. The amount will be split between the finders and the landowner. Braintree Museum in Essex has already expressed an interest in acquiring it.

Sources: bbc.com, thehistoryblog.com

The brooch has been folded in half

detail of decoration

A complete brooch of the same type from the Lerchenborg Hoard

part of the Cuerdal hoard, which contained only fragments of a similar brooch