7th Century Saxon Pendant Unearthed
Apr 10 2007
A TREASURE seeker from Shepshed has discovered a 7th Century pendant near his home. Stacey Spiby, 36, found the rare and valuable
Anglo Saxon piece of jewellery while combing a nearby field with a
metal detector.
The oval
pendant, which is about 2.5cm long and 1.8cm wide still needs to be valued, but according to Peter Liddle, Leicestershire County Council?s keeper of archaeology, it may be worth ?in the region of a few thousand pounds.?
Mr Liddle told the Echo:? This find is very unusual - it is very much like the items found in Suffolk during 1939 when the worldfamous Sutton Hoo hoard was discovered.? The pendant is being held at the British Museum in London awaiting valuation, but it was officially declared an item of treasure last week.
Mr Liddle added: ?This pendant would not have belonged to a King, but whoever owned it was definitely high up on the social ladder. ?The pendant is not as intricate as the find in 1939, but it is still an attractive piece of jewellery.
?It would have originally been part of a team of six or seven other pendants on the same necklace, and the remaining pendants may still be in the field - you never know, but the reasons behind the final settlement of the piece could be down to a number of things. ?It may be that the owner just lost it while walking or riding, or it could have been buried in a burial.
?The done thing at that time would have been to take a few things with you to the afterlife - we will just never know, but it is from the Anglo Saxon period when Britain was converting to Christianity, but how it came to be in Shepshed will remain a mystery.?
County Hall has shown an interest in buying the pendant to put on display in
Charnwood Museum, but that depends on its value. Once it has been sold, Mr Spiby and the land owner will have an equal share.
