Tue, 08 Aug
|Church of St Mary the Virgin
The Staffordshire Hoard: A Treasure of the early Anglo-Saxon period
Dr Chris Fern joins us to give an introduction to the Staffordshire Hoard.
Time & Location
08 Aug 2023, 19:45 – 21:00
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Church Lane, Sedgeford, Hunstanton PE36 5NA, UK
About the event
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest ‘treasure’ ever found from the early Anglo-Saxon period, discovered by a metal detectorist near Lichfield (north of Birmingham), in July 2009. It contains a unique combination of objects ― mostly military but with some of the emerging church. Made mainly between c. 570 and c. 650 AD, almost all are of gold or silver, many with inlaid garnets, and they display exquisite craftwork and artistry. However, the collection is very fragmented. Almost all its fittings were dismantled from larger objects, mainly swords ― the key weapon of the age ― but also from saddles, reliquaries, a cross-standard and a royal helmet. Moreover, why and how was it brought together at the heart of the kingdom of Mercia and who could have buried it?
Entry to our Tuesday night lectures costs £3 on the door. Doors open at 7:15pm.