The Leekfrith torcs are four

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

gold

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

s found by two hobby

metal detector A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...

ists in December 2016 in a field in Leekfrith, north Staffordshire, England. The find consists of three neck torcs and a smaller bracelet, which were located in proximity to each other. They are believed to be the oldest Iron Age

gold jewellery Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

found in Britain. Subsequent archaeological examination of the area did not uncover further objects.

Description

One of the torcs is a smaller bracelet decorated with ornament in the style of

Celtic art Celtic art is associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and styli ...

, and the other three are neck rings. The bracelet and one of the neck rings are made with twisted gold wire, and the other neck rings have finials shaped like trumpets. One of the latter has been broken into two pieces. The gold content of the four torcs has been measured using

x-ray fluorescence X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis ...

to be between 74-78% (roughly equivalent to 17-18 carat), with 18-22%

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

, some

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

, and traces of

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

, mercury and

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...

– a mix consistent with other Iron Age gold finds in Europe. The weight of the pieces varies from to , and over in total. According to Julia Farley, curator of British and European Iron Age collections of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, the torcs were "most likely" made in the area of what is now Germany or France, most likely in the period 400–250 BCE (

La Tène period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

). Farley commented:

Discovery

The torcs were found by Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania at around noon on 11 December 2016, in a field in Leekfrith that the two men were searching using

s. The men had permission from the landowner for the search. At the time, Hambleton and Kania had not discovered anything of note with their metal detectors besides Victorian coins. They had no fixed plans as they surveyed the field, having started metal detecting as a hobby 18 months before (although Hambleton used to go metal-detecting with his father when he was young). They found the first three torcs separately, approximately beneath the surface of the field and around apart. The metal detectorists reported the find to a

Portable Antiquities Scheme The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary programme run by the United Kingdom government to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest found by members of the public. The scheme begun in 1997 and now covers ...

officer based at

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local ...

the next day. The last torc was found by the same men, in the same field, several weeks later. Archaeologists subsequently surveyed the site, but found no other items, declaring it a "complete find". They also found no evidence of a settlement or grave on the site. A missing piece of the smallest torc was discovered by the original metal detectorists on 26 February 2017.

Inquest

The find was publicly announced on 28 February 2017 at a

press conference A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

at the

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Bethesda Street, Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free. One of the four local authority museums in the city, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museu ...

in Hanley. At an inquest held later the same day, the torcs were declared to be 'Treasure' under the

Treasure Act 1996 The Treasure Act 1996 is a UK Act of Parliament, defining which objects are classified as treasure, legally obliging the finder to report their find. Provisions The Act is designed to deal with finds of treasure in England, Wales and Northern Ire ...

. Coroner for Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, Ian Smith, described the find as "not quite in the same league as the Staffordshire Hoard, but nevertheless exciting." As a result of the coroner's finding, the items were offered for sale to museums at a price set by an independent board of antiquities experts known as the

Treasure Valuation Committee The Treasure Valuation Committee (TVC) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) based in London, which offers expert advice to the government on items of declared treasure in England, Wale ...

, with the finders and landowners sharing the money paid by the museum that buys them. Prior to undergoing valuation, the torcs were placed on public display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery from 1 March to 2 April 2017. In December 2017, following a £325,000 fundraising campaign, the torcs went on permanent display at the museum.

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite news , last=McInnes , first=Kathie , date=28 February 2017 , url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/iron-age-gold-found-in-staffordshire-moorlands-field/story-30167087-detail/story.html, title=Video: Iron Age gold found in Staffordshire Moorlands field , work=

Stoke Sentinel ''The Sentinel'' is a daily regional newspaper circulating in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire areas of England. It is owned by Reach plc and based at Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It is the only newspaper delivering daily news and featur ...

, accessdate=28 February 2017 {{cite web, url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/revealed-how-metal-detector-pals-struck-gold-in-staffordshire-moorlands-field/story-30169176-detail/story.html, title=Video: How metal detector pals struck gold in Staffordshire Moorlands field , last=McInnes, first=Kathie, date=28 February 2017, work=

, accessdate=1 March 2017 {{cite web, title=Staffordshire gold: Iron Age treasure to go on show to the public, url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/watch-staffordshire-gold-iron-age-treasure-to-go-on-show-to-the-public/story-30169148-detail/story.html, website=Stoke Sentinel, language=en, date=28 February 2017 {{cite web, url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/departments/staff/britain,_europe_and_prehistory/julia_farley.aspx, title=Julia Farley, publisher=

, accessdate=28 February 2017 {{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-39113201, title='Oldest' Iron Age gold work in Britain found in Staffordshire, date=28 February 2017, work=

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

, accessdate=28 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Kennedy, first1=Maev, title=Detectorists strike gold 20 years after leaving field empty-handed, url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/28/detectorists-strike-iron-age-gold-staffordshire-field, accessdate=28 February 2017, work=The Guardian, date=28 February 2017 {{cite web, title=The Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs - Stoke Museums, url=http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/collections/local-history/leekfrith-iron-age-torcs/, website=Stoke Museums, accessdate=3 March 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304114911/http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/collections/local-history/leekfrith-iron-age-torcs/, archive-date=4 March 2017, url-status=dead {{cite web, title=Staffordshire Strikes Gold With Iron Age Find - Staffordshire Newsroom, url=http://www.staffordshirenewsroom.co.uk/staffordshire-strikes-gold-with-iron-age-find/, website=Staffordshire Newsroom, date=28 February 2017 {{cite news, title=Oldest gold ever unearthed in field near Leek, ruled as treasure at inquest, url=http://staffslive.co.uk/2017/02/oldest-iron-age-gold-ever-discovered-unearthed-in-staffordshire-field/, work=StaffsLive Journalism, date=28 February 2017 {{cite news, title=Earliest Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain saved, url=http://www.staffordshirenewsroom.co.uk/earliest-iron-age-gold-ever-discovered-in-britain-saved/, work=Staffordshire Newsroom, date=19 December 2017 2016 archaeological discoveries 2016 in England 2010s in Staffordshire 3rd century BC in art 4th-century BC artefacts Ancient Celtic metalwork Gold objects History of Staffordshire Metal detecting finds in England Torcs Treasure troves in England Treasure troves of the Iron Age Iron Age art Hoards from Iron Age Britain

Description

Discovery

Inquest

See also

References