Lord Mayor's Blog 36
There have recently been press reports that the Staffordshire Hoard (would that it had been named the Mercian Hoard!) has attracted the interests of the Vatican - so often the target of imaginative conspiracy theories. Birmingham museum staff have contacted the Vatican who have said that they are definitely not seeking the Hoard.
Other speculation abounds, particularly on the internet, including a claim that the 1800 piece Hoard contains the relics of St Edwin (King Edwin of Northumbria at the time) was the Christian King of Northumbria. The Mercians at the time of King Penda were pagan. It has been claimed by some that the Hoard is from the Battle of Hatfield Chase, 12th October 633. At this battle, King Edwin was killed. The Hoard is thought to contain at least one helmet (in many pieces).
It has been noted that the Christian crosses in the Hoard have been bent to fit into a box. Some fragments of wood have been found associated with the gold so that carbon dating may be possible.
It has been argued that the apparent lack of respect for a religious item shown by twisting it may indicate that the looter was pagan. The Mercians converted to Christianity after the death of Penda at the Battle of Winwaed in 655. (Penda's death is depicted in a stained glass window in Worcester Cathedral.)
It may also be possible that the Hoard is the consequence of the Battle of Maserfield, where King Penda killed St. Oswald (King Oswald of Northumbria) and dismembered his body. There is a de-consecrated church named after St. Oswald in Small Heath, Birmingham (off the Coventry Road.)
The Treasury Act restricts the sale of the items abroad. The Hoard was valued in November at £3,285,000. Under the Act, since the Hoard is of national importance, the British Museum has the first option to buy it. However, the BM has made it clear from the outset, that they want the Hoard to be bought and displayed in the Midlands.
Under the Act, the Hoard can only be purchased by an accredited museum with an appropriate collections policy. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Stoke-on-Trent's Potteries Museum are accredited museums and their collecting policies are suitable - BMAG acquires pre-eminent collections (amongst many other things) whilst the Potteries collects relevant archaeological finds.
Since the day the items were found in late July, regular meetings have been held between BMAG, the Potteries Museum and potential funders such as the Art Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund.
One school of thought is that five museums will be involved in the display bringing in museums in Lichfield, Tamworth and Stafford with themed display elements - for example with Birmingham concentrating on the European dimension of Anglo-Saxon culture, Stoke having a Mercian focus, Stafford on the excavation, Tamworth on the royal aspect and Lichfield on the religious dimension
Birmingham’s broad focus will give opportunities to hold temporary displays of other Anglo-Saxon collections from around Britain and Western Europe (some of which are not on public display) plus global collections showing what was happening in the rest of the world between 600 and 700AD. There’s a lot to look forward to - and now we just need to raise the money!
There have recently been press reports that the Staffordshire Hoard (would that it had been named the Mercian Hoard!) has attracted the interests of the Vatican - so often the target of imaginative conspiracy theories. Birmingham museum staff have contacted the Vatican who have said that they are definitely not seeking the Hoard.
Other speculation abounds, particularly on the internet, including a claim that the 1800 piece Hoard contains the relics of St Edwin (King Edwin of Northumbria at the time) was the Christian King of Northumbria. The Mercians at the time of King Penda were pagan. It has been claimed by some that the Hoard is from the Battle of Hatfield Chase, 12th October 633. At this battle, King Edwin was killed. The Hoard is thought to contain at least one helmet (in many pieces).It has been noted that the Christian crosses in the Hoard have been bent to fit into a box. Some fragments of wood have been found associated with the gold so that carbon dating may be possible.
It has been argued that the apparent lack of respect for a religious item shown by twisting it may indicate that the looter was pagan. The Mercians converted to Christianity after the death of Penda at the Battle of Winwaed in 655. (Penda's death is depicted in a stained glass window in Worcester Cathedral.)
It may also be possible that the Hoard is the consequence of the Battle of Maserfield, where King Penda killed St. Oswald (King Oswald of Northumbria) and dismembered his body. There is a de-consecrated church named after St. Oswald in Small Heath, Birmingham (off the Coventry Road.)
The Treasury Act restricts the sale of the items abroad. The Hoard was valued in November at £3,285,000. Under the Act, since the Hoard is of national importance, the British Museum has the first option to buy it. However, the BM has made it clear from the outset, that they want the Hoard to be bought and displayed in the Midlands.
Under the Act, the Hoard can only be purchased by an accredited museum with an appropriate collections policy. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Stoke-on-Trent's Potteries Museum are accredited museums and their collecting policies are suitable - BMAG acquires pre-eminent collections (amongst many other things) whilst the Potteries collects relevant archaeological finds.
Since the day the items were found in late July, regular meetings have been held between BMAG, the Potteries Museum and potential funders such as the Art Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund.
One school of thought is that five museums will be involved in the display bringing in museums in Lichfield, Tamworth and Stafford with themed display elements - for example with Birmingham concentrating on the European dimension of Anglo-Saxon culture, Stoke having a Mercian focus, Stafford on the excavation, Tamworth on the royal aspect and Lichfield on the religious dimension
Birmingham’s broad focus will give opportunities to hold temporary displays of other Anglo-Saxon collections from around Britain and Western Europe (some of which are not on public display) plus global collections showing what was happening in the rest of the world between 600 and 700AD. There’s a lot to look forward to - and now we just need to raise the money!
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