A DETECTIVAL TREASURE: SILVER CRUCIFORM PENDANT
PERIOD: MEDIEVAL LOCATION: OXFORDSHIRE, UK MATERIAL: SILVER
Spring Detectival 2023 blessed Roman Found with only our third ever treasure find. Bucket lister material. But before we dive into this incredible little artefact, what exactly is treasure and why is it so special? Well for us metal detectorists there is a legal reason alongside the historical excitement behind why a treasure find can really stand out amongst the finds tin and this is down to the Treasure Act of 1996.
The Treasure Act is a government legislation that was brought in to ensure that important and significant archeological finds are given the opportunity to be kept available for museums and public benefit instead of heading straight into private collections where it is likely that the data and information held within that find would not help to add to the public archaeological record. Therefore to find a treasure find gives the finder a legal obligation to report that find within 14 days of the realisation that it falls under the category of ‘treasure’ as well as the exciting prospect that this find could add to the wider archeological knowledge and even end up on display. Once reporting the find it will begin its important archeological journey through the treasure process where it will be sent to the coroner and the British Museum for evaluation and research before being offered to local and national museums or sent back to the finder.
But what exactly is treasure?
“Treasure is:
(a)any object at least 300 years old when found which:
(i)is not a coin but has metallic content of which at least 10 per cent by weight is precious metal;
(ii)when found, is one of at least two coins in the same find which are at least 300 years old at that time and have that percentage of precious metal; or
(iii)when found, is one of at least ten coins in the same find which are at least 300 years old at that time;”
The Treasure Act of 1996
Exciting archeological stuff, and a real chance to add to the history of your area. Of course there are thousands of finds across the country that fall into this category so the process is not the fastest and it is normal to be waiting quite some time for the outcome of your treasure find. But nonetheless it is one of the rites of passages to the all time detectorist bucket list. So what treasure did we find?
Well it’s mid afternoon on the Spring Detectival Sunday and the fields are nice and quiet after a mega Saturday that kept everyone busy with find after find after find. There are plenty of holes scattered across all 14 of the available fields and after such a wealth of finds from the previous day, surely all of the good stuff must have been found? For us and the die-hards still out pottering over the landscape we were certain there was something left just waiting to be found. We know from our own permission that you just never know when the land will decide to throw up that special find and it always pops up late in the day and when you least expect it, so we aren’t giving up just yet!
It was Field 13 that drew us back in searching for that find to really make the weekend. This was a field that we and many other detectorists had spent quite some time in on the previous day and it had thrown up a lot of good finds from Saxon Silver to Roman Sestertii. We had a good vibe, the field was set into a stunning location within the landscape covering a small valley and the whole area just felt incredibly ancient. We weren’t the only ones to think that either from the vast amount of holes that covered the area, but nevertheless we pottered across taking some different and unusual angles to eek out some little treasures that could have been missed.
We had a good vibe, the field was set into a stunning location within the landscape covering a small valley and the whole area just felt incredibly ancient.
A strong 13/14 VDI signal on the Minelab Equinox 800 had Lucie stating that it was quote “The best signal I've had all weekend”. Strong claims and we were certainly not quite expecting the find to live up to them especially after a difficult morning of flaky and trash signals. But the laws of detecting clearly state that this is always when that treasure will strike. So to our utter shock and exhaustion just peeking out of the clod lay a tiny silver pendant that dating to 1200 - 1300 AD will be our third ever find off on a treasure journey.
Just missing its top arm which would have contained the loop to attach the pendant onto a chain or cord our pendant is a stunning example of a Silver Medieval Cruciform Pendant which would have been used as a display of personal devotion, much like a Christian would wear a cross today, and would have been an incredibly important and personal object to the original owner.
The symbol of the cross itself is an incredibly important and powerful Christian symbol that was popularised in Europe by the Romans as their own empire shifted to Christianity. It represents love and devotion reflecting Jesus’s own sacrifice and salvation and would have been worn as a powerful symbol of devotion.
In Medieval Britain the church was a very important and influential power into people’s lives. It was essentially woven into the very fabric of daily life and that comes as no surprise considering that after the Norman Conquest there was a campaign of church, cathedral and monastery building that had never before been seen in such a vast scale. Christianity was the whole business.
In local parishes especially the Church would be looked to for practically everything, a pillar in the community that shaped every important event that happened in people’s lives, even shaping the calendar. With such an importance placed upon the Church it isn’t surprising that religion and devotion was integral to a Medieval person, with the Church responsible for practically every event and guidance in your life then being a good Christian was essential.
Religion really was at the forefront of their lives so to find an artefact that really reflects such an important part of their lifestyle and shows their own personal prayers and religion, well it just doesn’t really get much better and more connected to the personal lives of the past than that.
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