The Yorkshire Museum is delighted to announce that it has received £192,096 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund alongside support from public fundraising to acquire the Melsonby Hoard for future generations.

Discovered by metal detectorist Peter Heads in 2021 near the village of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, the Melsonby Hoard is a collection of over 800 Iron Age artefacts dating back 2,000 years. It is a ground-breaking discovery for Iron Age research with objects such as chariot wheels, cauldrons, horse bridles and ceremonial spears. The quantity and variety of objects are unusual and have important implications for reassessing our understanding of Iron Age life in the north of England.

The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist and then excavated by a team of archaeologists from Durham University who stabilised and began researching this extraordinary find with financial support of over £120,000 from Historic England and expert advice from the British Museum. The find was reported under the Treasure Act 1996, administered by the Treasure Registry at the British Museum on behalf of the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Learn more about the Hoard, its discovery and excavation: Melsonby Hoard – Durham University

Thanks to the collective hard work of these organisations, alongside this generous support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, £54,000 in donations from the public via the online crowdfunder and a further £20,000 in other donations, the purchase of the hoard has been secured for the Yorkshire Museum. Here, further research, conservation and analytical work will be carried out to learn more about its fascinating contents and ensure its long-term preservation. It will also become an important part of the Yorkshire Museum’s public programme, sharing the discovery with the museum’s visitors.

The Yorkshire Museum will be continuing its fundraising efforts to support the next steps for the hoard; conservation, display and research. Conservation will be undertaken to stabilise objects and prepare them for display. The Yorkshire Museum will work in partnership to undertake detailed research into the objects, their context and their significance for understanding life in the Iron Age.

Kathryn Blacker, Chief Executive of York Museums Trust said: “The Melsonby Hoard is a significant piece of Yorkshire’s history and York Museums Trust are delighted to have secured the funding to acquire the hoard for the nation. Thanks to the incredible support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, as well as generous donations from members of the public, the hoard will remain here in Yorkshire, to be made available for everyone to see and to enjoy. We remain committed to researching and conserving these unprecedented finds to improve our understanding of our shared past and securing them for future generations.”

“The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK’s most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. We are delighted to count the Melsonby Hoard as part of the growing and timeless collection of UK heritage that belongs to all of us forever.”

from : York Museums Trust