Yorkshire Museum acquires iron age hoard after fundraising campaign

Yorkshire Museum has succeeded in raising more than £265,000 to acquire the Melsonby Hoard, a collection of over 800 iron-age artefacts discovered by a metal detectorist in 2021.

The museum announced this week that it had received £192,096 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. This funding, along with £54,000 in donations from the public via an online crowdfunder and a further £20,000 in other donations, has helped to secure the purchase of the hoard for the museum.

Unearthed near the village of Melsonby in north Yorkshire, the 2,000-year old hoard has been described as a “game-changing” discovery that could rewrite current understanding of iron-age life in the north of England. The quantity and variety of objects in the hoard are unusual, including items such as chariot wheels, cauldrons, horse bridles and ceremonial spears.

The hoard was found by a metal detectorist and then excavated by a team of archaeologists from Durham University, who stabilised and began researching the find with financial support of over £120,000 from Historic England and advice from the British Museum.

The find was reported under the Treasure Act 1996 and recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Further research, conservation and analytical work will be carried out at the museum to learn more about the hoard’s contents and ensure its long-term preservation. It will also become an important part of the Yorkshire Museum’s public programming.

The museum plans to continue its fundraising efforts to support the next steps for the hoard, including conservation, display and research. Steps will be taken to stabilise objects and prepare them for display, and the museum will work in partnership to undertake detailed research into the objects, their context and their significance.

“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,” said Kathryn Blacker, chief executive of York Museums Trust.

“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.”

Andrew Woods, head of research and collections at York Museums Trust, said the acquisition was  “only the beginning of the story”.

“Next the Yorkshire Museum will work in partnership to undertake a careful programme of conservation to reveal more of the hoard’s beauty and to keep it protected for future generations,” he said.

“There will also be a research project to understand the stories of creation and deposition. Over the coming years the hoard will be put on display, and we cannot wait to share it with our visitors.”

The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a fund of last resort to support the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of the UK’s most outstanding heritage.

“The Melsonby Hoard throws bright new light on Iron Age life in Yorkshire and beyond,” said the fund’s chair Simon Thurley. “We are pleased to support this acquisition which will keep the hoard intact, in the county in which it was buried and enable research to take place to gain a deeper insight into its origin and history.

“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.”