Melsonby Hoard: Incredible find discovered by metal detectorist in farmer's field to go on show in Yorkshire
The Melsonby Hoard is a dramatic window on the past, a collection of 800 items which show us a little of what life might have been like in Yorkshire 2,000 years ago.
That it was discovered at all by a metal detectorist, buried in a farmer’s field outside a village, is astonishing. Now some of the 800 items from fragements of vehicles to weaponry is to go on show.
The exhibition is called Chariots, Treasure and Power: Secrets of the Melsonby Hoard, and it runs until summer 2027 at the Yorkshire Museum. It is devoted to displaying this unprecedented discovery of the largest hoard of Iron Age metalwork ever to ever be found in Britain.
Around 30 per cent of the 800 objects discovered outside the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire in 2021, including fragments of vehicles, adornments from horse harnesses, weapons and hundreds of other individual items that make up the momentous discovery will be displayed together for the first time.
Taking centre stage, ‘The Block’, an amalgamation of materials that were found fused together weighing over 23 stones (150kg) and measuring three feet across, allowing visitors to see this extraordinary structure.
The objects will be showcased alongside digital resources and interactives, inviting visitors to get up close to the discovery and dive into the archaeological, scientific, and conservation work shaping future research.
A museum spokesman said: “Chariots, Treasure and Power marks the initial stages of research on the hoard, outlining the current understandings of Iron Age Britain and exploring life before the arrival of the Romans, and asking the questions, why was the hoard buried, why were the objects burnt and destroyed and who might have owned these lavish items?
“The significance of the discovery is heightened by its proximity to the Iron Age fortifications at Stanwick, a major centre of power for the Brigantes under Queen Cartimandua. The Melsonby Hoard itself reflects the far‑reaching connections of these influential rulers, with objects revealing links to Denmark, the Mediterranean, and beyond.”
Last July it was announced that this haul had been saved for the UK.
The Yorkshire Museum has received £192,096 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, along with public donations, to acquire the Melsonby Hoard.
The variety of objects led archaeologists to make important breakthroughs in their understanding of Iron Age society, including how power and wealth were not exclusively held in the South.
Detectorist Peter Heads made the find and reported it to the proper authorities, and a team of Durham University archaeologists, with advice from the British Museum, took great care to excavate the hoard from two ditches.
Thanks to the National Memorial Fund, a public crowdfunder and other donations, the find was secured by the Yorkshire Museum, based in York.