Help save the Oxfordshire iron age hoard
An appeal is being launched by Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum to acquire an iron age hoard discovered by a metal detector user in Oxfordshire in 2020.
The registered charity is aiming to raise £10,500 for Oxfordshire County Council’s museum service to acquire the hoard, which includes a stunning horse brooch that is more than 2,000 years old.
This appeal represents the service’s first ever crowdfunder campaign.
The hoard was discovered in the parish of Rotherfield Peppard near Henley-on-Thames in August 2020 by a metal detector user and, with archaeologists, was then excavated.
Chairman of the Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum, Edward Dowler, said: “Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum has a proud and long standing history of supporting the museum to acquire treasure. We are pleased to enable the museum team to take this exciting new step.
“We hope that the campaign will inspire the many people who want to see Oxfordshire treasures kept in the county, and displayed in its museum, to donate.”
Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This is an exceptional opportunity for our county council museum service to acquire a fascinating collection of objects that tells us so many stories about our iron age forebears from so long ago.
“I hope local people can help us in our quest to conserve these incredibly historic and valuable items for present and future generations of Oxfordshire people.”
The iron age of the British Isles started 800 years BC and it is believed that this hoard was buried in AD 50 to 150, shortly after the Roman invasion.
The hoard was found in a pottery urn, sealed by a quern stone. The contents of the urn included a stunning copper alloy and enamelled iron age horse brooch, an enamelled patera handle, a brooch, one silver roman coin and a lead weight.
Such a hoard is classified as treasure under the national Treasure Act. As the county’s repository for archaeological finds, the county council’s museum service has the first chance to acquire it for Oxfordshire and ultimately save it from going into private hands.
Donors who give over £20 will also be invited to a special viewing of the hoard with the council’s curator of archaeology if the campaign is successful.
Donations made will be used only to support the acquisition and conservation of the hoard for the museum. People donating are urged to opt in for Gift Aid as this boosts the money received and will help reach the target more quickly.
The Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum is a registered charity that supports The Oxfordshire Museum through fundraising and financial support for special events, acquisitions and educational programmes.
The Oxfordshire Museum cares for, safeguards and makes accessible the heritage of the county. Its collections can be accessed through its displays, loans programme and digital catalogue and can be used for research.
Learn more about the Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum and the benefits of becoming a friend by visiting the Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum’s website.
More information and donations can be made by visiting the dedicated crowdfunder’s webpage.
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