After £30K gold nugget was uncovered in Shropshire, we examine five other incredible treasure finds in the county
Treasure hunter Richard Brock's £30k find of a spectacular gold nugget in the Shropshire Hills has captured the imagination, but it's not the first time the county has been home to a stunning historic discovery.
Throughout the years Shropshire's countryside has proved a rich hunting ground for enthusiasts trying to unearth a piece of history.
The are just five of the stunning and unbelievable finds revealed in recent years.
Cast your beady eyes on this
Back in 2016 treasure hunters in Wem found "one of the most important Bronze Age finds discovered in the county”.
The item, a gold bead, was said to date back around 4,000 years.
Peter Reavill, who was finds liaison officer for Shropshire at the time, said: “The gold fragment is relatively small but it is one of the most important Bronze Age finds discovered in Shropshire.
"It is about 4,000 years old being made at the very beginning of the Bronze Age when gold was incredibly scarce and important.
"Archaeologists call this period the Chalcolithic and it is when people first started to work with gold, copper and tin.
"The original owner would have been a very important person within the community and the find may have been passed down before being deposited.
"All we have is this tiny fragment and it is possible that it may have been lost after being damaged. It is much more likely that it was deliberately buried as a grave good in a ‘Beaker Burial’ under a round mound.
"The mound has subsequently been ploughed out by centuries of cultivation and all that remains of the grave is this small gift.”
Historic silver find gets seal of approval
In 2017 a stunning 13th Century silver medieval seal was again found by a treasure hunter with a metal detector.
The seal, which would have been used to close, authenticate and officiate documents, was found on cultivated land near Wrockwardine.
The item had a handle on the reverse and a well cut detailed design on the front face.
The central design depicted a shrine of The Nursing Madonna and Child with a cleric in an act of prayer at its base.
She is hooded or veiled and is garbed in a tradition full length robe with a sash tied around her waist.
The scene is positioned beneath a gothic canopied arch supporting a roof which is topped with carved decorations.
The cleric is depicted below with his head tilted upwards as if looking towards the shrine. His hands are closed in prayer.
The inscription is formed from well cut neat medieval letters, which read: “SECRTV ROG’ D’ VEILOREAVE CLERI’ NR”, which can be interpreted as secret, or counter seal, of Roger of Veiloreave – Clerk.
The form of the name Veiloreave is unusual and it has been suggested that it is a place name which has been translated from Welsh.
The term clerk derives from cleric. The role of a cleric within the 13th and 14th centuries would have involved various administrative responsibilities at medieval courts, where they would have been entrusted with keeping records, as most laymen were illiterate.
A cleric could also be clergyman. The religious nature of the piece does suggest that this clerk was also a priest.
