Could prolific detectorist Andy have found a lost link to Shropshire Knights Templar legend?
A prolific detectorist and historian has found what could be a Shropshire link to a mysterious band of warrior monks.
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Andy Bassett, of Severn Valley Alpacas, near Bridgnorth, has found enough coins, brooches and historical items in the south Shropshire area to fill several boxes after using his trusty detector.
But possibly the most intriguing find is a ring dated between 1100 and 1250 that is from the period of the Knights Templar. They were a ferocious band of Roman Catholic warrior monks who fought in the Crusades. But they faded away and have since become the stuff of many a conspiracy legend.
Andy said: "There is a local legend in this area of a Knight who came back home from the Crusades to find that his manor house had burned down an his wife and children were dead.
"He is reputed to have ridden off to never be seen again."
The ring is currently making its way through the treasure assessment process and Andy hasn't been given a date for the Shropshire coroner to make a formal decision.
Andy who lives on the Severn Valley Alpacas site at Romsley, near Bridgnorth, has been a regular visitor to the coroner's court over the years after making several stunning discoveries.
