Market Rasen Sword Fittings
The British Museum recently acquired a set of rare Anglo-Saxon
sword hilt fittings with the assistance of the National Heritage
Memorial Fund (NHMF) and the British Museum Friends.
Discovered by a metal detectorist in 2002 near Market Rasen,
Lincolnshire, the sword pommel and hilt fittings are an outstanding
find of very high quality workmanship and are the first sword
fittings of this type from Anglo-Saxon England.
The sword was presumably commissioned by a high-status
individual. It may have been deposited in a grave although
archaeological investigations at the findspot did not yield any
evidence of a burial. The sword fittings will be on display in
North Lincolnshire before travelling to the The Collection: Art and
Archaeology in Lincoln (1 December – 1 March 2009)
The Collection: Art and Archaeology in Lincoln
1 December 2008 – 1 March 2009
Image: Wide hilt collar from a set of gold
sword hilt fittings, partially decorated with filigree, Market
Rasen, Lincolnshire