Trinity Hoard

The hoard of late Bronze Age (around 1,000 BCE) items was found inside a pottery container, about 30 cm underground, in October 2012, by metal detectorist Ken Rive, in the Parish of Trinity in the north of Jersey. A conservator from Jersey Heritage was able to attend at the find before digging began. The container was around 30 cm across. It had been damaged, probably by a plough, which had freed the two axeheads.^[1] There was other material at the site, including pieces of broken pottery not from the primary find.^[2]

Initially, only two socketed axeheads were identified,^[2] but after scanning by an X-ray scanner at Jersey Airport, a further 21 axeheads, at least, were seen to be present in the pot. The first two axeheads were subjected to an X-ray fluorescence scan at Cranfield University, which showed that the bronze alloy has a very high lead content (nearly 55%). Such a high lead content level would have made the axes too soft for practical use, suggesting that they were prestige objects that were accumulated as a sign of wealth.^[3] The pottery container was opened by conservators, and a total of 25 axeheads were recovered, in the care of Jersey Heritage, and treated with advice from the British Museum. A display from the hoard was established in the Jersey Museum in December 2012.^[1]

The find came months after another significant find in Jersey, the Grouville Hoard, which included about 70,000 pieces of Celtic coin, and gold and silver jewellery.^[2]

• List of hoards in the Channel Islands