Retiree finds 1,000-year-old Viking jewellery with metal detector

A stunning set of gold and silver Viking jewellery from around 950 AD was discovered on the Isle of Man late last year.It was found by retired police officer Kath Giles using a metal detector on farmland in the north of the island. "Late last year
we received a phone call from Kath reporting the find. With her help, we then documented the site and ensured that no other objects were left in the ground," said Allison Fox, curator of archaeology at the Manx National Heritage Museum about the treasure, which among other things It contains a beautiful gold braided bracelet, a massive silver brooch and other jewellery. The trove was discovered back in December but has only now been presented to the public following a coroner's hearing.
"I knew I had found something very special when I pulled back the soil and found parts of the pin and the beautiful gold bracelet underneath. I immediately realised it was a significant and exciting find. I am so thrilled to have found artefacts that are not only so important but also beautiful," Kath Giles described the circumstances of the find, which is worth several thousand pounds.

The bracelet is made of three braided gold wires, the two ends of which flow loosely into a flat diamond-shaped band, which is decorated with wrought iron elements all around. The curator said that the gold bracelet is very rare for the period: 'For trade during the Viking Age, silver was a much more common commodity than gold. The bracelet, brooch and other items are highly prized personal jewellery and represent a large amount of accumulated wealth. Finding just one of these items would be significant. However, the fact that all these objects were found together suggests that whoever buried them was extremely wealthy and probably felt acutely threatened at the time."
The collection dates from the mid-10th century. At this time, trade was brisk between the strategically placed island, Britain and the rest of the European world of the time: "For stylistic and comparative reasons, Kath's Treasure can be dated to around 950, when the Isle of Man was right in the middle of an important trading and economic zone. Viking and Norse influence remained strong on the island for the next 300 years," said Allison Fox.

The Isle of Man Treasures Act 2017 states that if objects of an archaeological nature are found, the finder has a legal obligation to report them within two weeks. The coroner will decide whether the artefact is a treasure. If it is, a financial reward is usually paid to the finder and also to the landowner.

The exact values of the finds and the rewards have not yet been determined. Ms. Fox clarified that the reward will be based on the market value of all artifacts. This will be assessed independently by the Treasure Valuation Commission. "At this point we know the historical and cultural value of the treasure to the history of the Isle of Man, but its financial value will be assessed at a later date," the curator added.

Meanwhile, Ms Giles' find has been declared a treasure at the Douglas Courthouse inquest. While the exact amount has not been disclosed, similar items of Viking jewellery used to have a market value of around £1,500 apiece. A larger set of Viking jewellery found in Lancashire in 2011 was valued at £110,000 (about £3.3 million).

Parts of a silver breastplate

Some of the items discovered on the Isle of Man late last year

A gold bracelet

Kath Giles (left) thrilled with the find

Roman Nemec: Sources: bbc.com, heritagedaily.com, dailymail.co.uk