Most important Viking Treasure in 150 years
is jointly acquired by two British museums
The Vale of York hoard has been acquired
through a unique partnership between the York Museums Trust (York)
and the British Museum (London).
This major Viking hoard, an important and
exciting find, is joint-owned and will be displayed equally between
the two partners. Highlights of the hoard will be displayed
initially at the Yorkshire Museum in York (17 September – 1
November 2009). It will then travel to the British Museum.
The hoard was declared Treasure and was valued
at £1,082,000 by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee. The
Vale of York hoard has been acquired with the substantial and
generous support of a National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) grant
of £507,100, and a £250,000 grant from independent charity The Art
Fund. Additional funding came from the Challenge Fund (£97,500) and
York Museums Trust (£30,000). A huge sum of £200,000 was raised
through public appeal with many individual generous donations from
the British Museum Friends. Additional funds were raised to cover
conservation costs.
The size and quality of the material in the
hoard is remarkable, making it the most important find of its type
in Britain for over 150 years. It was discovered in the Harrogate
area in January 2007 by two metal-detectorists, David and Andrew
Whelan, who kept the find intact and promptly reported it to their
local Finds Liaison Officer.
Conservation work has recently started on the
hoard to restore it to its former glory. More information on the
hoard has come to light through this process. The vessel which
contained most of the hoard can now be seen to be decorated with
niello (a black metal inlay), as well as extensive gilding. New
details are also visible in the decoration of some of the silver
jewellery fragments, and in the designs and inscriptions of the
coins. The first newly conserved objects will be revealed on 27
August.
Mary Kershaw, Director of
Collections at York, said: “The Vale of York Viking Hoard is a once
in a lifetime find. It will greatly add to the understanding
of the early 900's in Yorkshire and its connections with the
wider world.”
Jonathan Williams, Keeper of
Prehistory and Europe at the British Museum, said: “This find is of
global importance, as well as having huge significance for the
history of England and Yorkshire. York Museum Trust and the British
Museum have worked together to acquire, interpret and exhibit the
hoard to make it accessible to the widest possible public. We are
hugely grateful to all funders whose generosity has meant we were
able to acquire the hoard”.
Dr Robert Bewley, Director of
Operations at the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “This
archaeological find provides us with a unique and wonderful
snapshot of troubled times in Britain and Europe, over a thousand
years ago. We’re particularly pleased to see that our funding is
helping to facilitate important joint working between the British
Museum and York Museums Trust. This should ensure that these
treasures can be enjoyed, in a variety of locations, by visitors
from both this country and further afield.”
Andrew Macdonald, Acting
Director of The Art Fund, said: “A treasure hunter’s dream, the
Vale of York hoard is an extraordinary collection of artefacts that
gives new insight into the vast trading networks – from Islamic
Central Asia to Scandinavia and the Baltic – of 10th
century Britain. The Art Fund is delighted to have helped York
Museums Trust and the British Museum acquire this rare and exciting
find.”
David and Andrew Whelan, the
finders of the hoard, said “Being keen metal detectorists we always
dreamt of finding a hoard, but to find one from such a fantastic
period of history, is just unbelievable. The contents of the hoard
we found went far beyond our wildest dreams and hopefully people
will love seeing the objects on display in York and London for
many, many years to come”.
Additional information on the Vale of York hoard
The hoard contains a mixture of different
precious metal objects, including coins, complete ornaments, ingots
(bars) and chopped-up fragments known as hack-silver (67 objects in
total and 617 coins). It shows the diversity of cultural contacts
in the medieval world, with objects coming from as far apart as
Afghanistan in the East and Ireland in the West, as well as Russia,
Scandinavia and continental Europe.
The most spectacular single object is a gilt
silver vessel, made in what is now France or western Germany around
the middle of the ninth century. It was apparently intended for use
in church services, and was probably either looted from a monastery
by Vikings, or given to them in tribute. Most of the smaller
objects were hidden inside this vessel, which was itself protected
by some form of lead container. As a result, the hoard was
extremely well-preserved. Other star objects include a rare gold
arm-ring, and 617 coins, including several new or rare types. These
provide valuable new information about the history of England in
the early tenth century, as well as Yorkshire’s wider cultural
contacts in the period. Interestingly, the hoard contains coins
relating to Islam and to the pre-Christian religion of the Vikings,
as well as to Christianity.
The hoard was probably buried for safety by a
wealthy Viking leader during the unrest that followed the conquest
of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria in AD 927 by the Anglo-Saxon
king Athelstan (924-39).
The Vale of York hoard is the largest and most
important Viking hoard from Britain since the hoard found at
Cuerdale in Lancashire in 1840. Objects from the Cuerdale hoard are
now on display in several museums around the UK, with the largest
group housed in the British Museum.
A Viking army conquered the Anglo-Saxon
kingdom of Northumbria in AD 869. The area remained under Viking
control until it was conquered by Athelstan in 927. The area had
another brief period of independence following Athelstan’s death in
939, which lasted until the death of the Viking ruler Eric Bloodaxe
in 954. The Vikings made a lasting impact in Britain, including
place-names, sculpture and influence on the English language, as
well as archaeological remains. Yorkshire is one of the areas which
shows the strongest Viking influence.
For further information or images please
contact:
Hannah Boulton at the British Museum on 020
7323 8522 or
hboulton@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
/ communications@britishmuseum.org
Lee Clark at York Museums Trust on (0)1904
687673 or lee.clark@ymt.org.uk
Notes to editors
- The British Museum and the York Museums Trust work closely
together under the banner of Partnership UK, the strategic
framework for the British Museum’s programme of engagement with
audiences throughout the country.
- All finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins
from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to
report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Prehistoric
base-metal assemblages found after 1st January 2003 also qualify as
Treasure. Treasure finds must be reported by law to the local
coroner, which is normally done through the finders local PAS Finds
Liaison Officer. More information is available on http://www.culture.gov.uk/ or
http://www.finds.org.uk/
- The Portable Antiquities Scheme has a national network of 36
Finds Liaison Officers who record all archaeological finds made by
members of the public and assist with the reporting of potential
Treasure finds, as required by the Treasure Act. The Scheme is run
by the BM on behalf of MLA. The online database, www.finds.org.uk, contains details
over 175,000 objects
- The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up to save
the most outstanding parts of our national heritage, in memory of
those who have given their lives for the United Kingdom. It
currently receives £10million annual grant-in-aid from the
Government. For more details, please contact Dervish Mertcan,
NHMF Press Office, on (020) 7591 6102. www.nhmf.org.uk
- The Art Fund is the UK’s leading independent art charity. It
offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their
collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and
promotes the enjoyment of art. It is entirely funded from
public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has
helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works
of art for their collections. Recent achievements include: helping
secure Titian’s Diana and Actaeon for the National
Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London in February
2009 with a grant of £1 million; helping secure Anthony d’Offay’s
collection, ARTIST ROOMS, for Tate and National Galleries of
Scotland in February 2008 with a grant of £1million; and running
the ‘Buy a Brushstroke’ public appeal which raised over £550,000 to
keep Turner’s Blue Rigi watercolour in the UK. For more
information contact the Press Office on 020 7225 4888 or visit
http://www.artfund.org/ . The
Art Fund is a Registered Charity No. 209174
- The Art Fund is holding a Private View and Lecture on Wednesday
21 October from 18.30 to 20.30 at Yorkshire Museum in York with Dr
Gareth Williams, Curator of Early Mediaeval Coinage at the British
Museum. Dr Williams is overseeing the restoration of the hoard and
will talk about the significance of the discovery. There will be a
private view of a selection of the hoard as well as a wine
reception with canapés. Trustee of The Art Fund and NADFAS
President, Christopher Lloyd CVO will be at the event. Tickets are
£15 each. Call 01347 868540 for details.