Archaeologist finds buried treasure (From Stroud News and Journal)

Archaeologist finds buried treasure

AN amateur archaeologist has unearthed Medieval treasure which has been buried for hundreds of years in a Standish field.

The ancient gold ring has been declared treasure trove by a coroner and could be added to the collection of Stroud's Museum in the Park.

Paul Bevan of Munsley Grove, Matson, discovered the 800 year old ring near Standish with his metal detector as he worked on an ongoing research programme at an Iron Age and Romano-British settlement.

Gloucester's assistant coroner David Dooley said the ring fulfilled all the criteria to be declared treasure - it is more than ten pre cent gold, more than 300 years old and is wanted by a local museum.

The gold ring, which is set with a garnet stone, was found in a medieval ridge and furrow field which had remained unchanged until the Second World War.

At that time soil from Moreton Valence was dumped there when an airfield was excavated.

Mr Bevan said he believed the ring was probably lost in the Moreton Valence area but transported to Standish with the soil.

An expert from the British Museum said the ring dated back to the 13th Century.

The assistant coroner told Mr Bevan: "No doubt the British Museum will be in contact with you with regard to any compensation to which you may be entitled."

Stroud's Museum in the Park has indicated it would like the ring - subject to the value put on it.

"If we can afford it we'd love to have it but that's a big if," said Sue Hayward, curator of the Museum in the Park.

"We'll get first refusal on it but I dare say we'll have to put in a grant application to pay for it."

She said the fact the ring had been officially declared treasure would buy the museum some time.

"The last piece of treasure we acquired was a gold Tudor hairpin from Berkeley," she said.

"It took about 18 months to process and come through."

For more South Gloucestershire stories, see this week's SNJ.