When it emerged from the earth it was dull, corroded and battered, the centuries it had spent lying beneath a Somerset field having taken their toll.
Now restored and gleaming, the Cheddar brooch, a rare early medieval piece regarded as one of the most important finds of its kind, is going on display at a museum close to where it was found by a metal detectorist.
Dating from about AD800 to 900, the large silver and copper alloy disc brooch hails from a time when the survival of Saxon Wessex was in doubt and Athelney on the Somerset Levels provided a refuge for King Alfred the Great.
Interlaced animal and plant designs in bright silver and black niello – usually a mixture, of sulphur, copper, silver and lead – are set against a gilded back panel. The animals represented include wyverns – dragon-like creatures with two legs, wings and long tails that would later become a symbol of Wessex.
Amal Khreisheh, the curator of archaeology at the South West Heritage Trust, said: “Conservation has transformed this fascinating brooch and revealed the intricacies. The details uncovered include fine scratches on the reverse, which may have helped the maker to map out the design.
“A tiny contemporary mend on the beaded border suggests the brooch was cherished by its owner and worn for an extended period of time before it was lost.”
Khreisheh said it was likely that it belonged to an important and wealthy person who had access to a goldsmith of exceptional ability.
Tom Mayberry, the chief executive of the South West Heritage Trust, said: “In 878 Alfred the Great rallied his forces in Somerset and defeated the invading Danish army. Wessex was secure and the foundations had been laid for the creation of a unified English kingdom. The Cheddar brooch comes from a time that was a turning point in English history.”
The brooch was found by Iain Sansome while metal-detecting on farmland near Cheddar, Somerset, in 2020. He reported it through the portable antiquities scheme and the item was acquired by the Museum of Somerset, Taunton, under the Treasure Act 1996.
It is believed to be the first object of its kind found in the south-west of England. A follow-up investigation took place at the site but no further significant discoveries were made, which may suggest the brooch was lost or discarded into water, rather than being deliberately buried.
The Cheddar brooch will be on display at the museum’s Making Somerset gallery from Friday 20 October. Entry is free. A programme of talks and family activities is taking place relating to the brooch.
