The find includes rare coins of King Alfred 'the Great' of Wessex (r.871-99) and King Ceolwulf II of Mercia (874-79), as well as Viking arm-rings and silver ingots, and is said by archaeologists to be nationally significant. The hoard was found at Watlington by James Mather, a metal-detectorist, and excavated by the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The find was block-lifted and brought to the British Museum where the soil-block was excavated in the lab, and the finds studied by experts from the Ashmolean and British Museums. The hoard consists of 186 coins (some fragmentary), 7 items of jewellery and 15 ingots.
The hoard was buried around the end of the 870s, in the period following Alfred's decisive defeat of the Vikings at Edington in 878. Following their defeat, the Vikings moved north of the Thames and travelled to East Anglia through the kingdom of Mercia. It seems likely that the hoard was buried in the course of these events, although the precise circumstances will never be known.
James Mather, the finder of the hoard, explained that "discovering this exceptional hoard has been a really great experience and helping excavate it with archaeologists from the PAS on my 60thbirthday was the icing on the cake!It highlights how responsible metal detecting, supportive landowners and the PAS contribute to national archaeological heritage. I hope these amazing artefactscan be displayed by a local museum to be enjoyed by generations to come."
Gareth Williams, Curator of Early Medieval Coinage for British Museum, added "the hoard comes from a key moment in English history. At around the same time, Alfred of Wessex decisively defeated the Vikings, and Ceolwulf II, the last king of Mercia quietly disappeared from the historical record in uncertain circumstances. Alfred and his successors then forged a new kingdom of England by taking control of Mercia, before conquering the regions controlled by the Vikings. This hoard has the potential to provide important new information on relations between Mercia and Wessex at the beginning of that process."
If the Watlington Hoard is declared Treasure, the Ashmolean Museum and Oxfordshire Museums Service will be working in partnership with others, and potential funders, to try to ensure that this important find can be displayed for local people to learn about and enjoy.
The announcement of the discovery was made during the release of the Portable Antiquities Scheme's annual Treasure report. The report noted that 113,784 archaeological finds have been recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2014.
Ed Vaizey, Great Britain's Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, commented "Fascinating finds like this Viking hoard are a great example of the 1 million discoveries that have been unearthed by the public since 1997. Sharing these archaeological treasures with the country means protecting them for future generations to learn more about our nation’s rich and complex past."
If a find is declared a treasure, arrangements are made for the items to be bought by museums, including the British Museum.
Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, added, “The publication of the latest Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure annual reports highlight the ongoing contribution of finds discovered by the public to our understanding of Britain’s past. Supported by the British Museum and its national and local partners, many of the most important finds from England and Wales have been acquired by local museums and displayed for people to learn about and enjoy through the Portable Antiquities Scheme. "