Bronze Age Gold from Wales

A Middle Bronze Age hoard (1300-1150 BCE) comprising twelve items of gold jewellery, two bronze palstaves, a bronze chisel and the base fragment of a pottery vessel.

In January 2004, a group of fourteen gold, bronze and ceramic objects were found by three metal-detectorists in a recently ploughed field in the flood plain of the River Alun near Burton, Wrexham. Thirteen of these objects were found within a 1.5-2m square area, while a fourteenth was found 24m away. All objects were found 5-20cm below the ground. Subsequently, a small archaeological test-pit was excavated by museum archaeologists, to check for additional objects and to clarify how the objects were buried. The objects were probably originally buried together within a pottery vessel, only the base of which has survived. Two further gold items, a gold bead and wire, were later found by the same metal-detectorists in August 2007 just a few metres from the first find-spot and are part of the same hoard.

The artefacts were declared treasure in 2004 and 2008 and later acquired for the national collection, with grant assistance provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund and The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.