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Appeal to keep the ‘Stopham Treasure’ in Sussex
The Novium Museum in Chichester has launched a fundraising appeal to purchase an Anglo-Saxon gold-and-garnet pyramidal sword mount – only the second of its kind to be found in West Sussex – so that the rare artefact can be displayed in the area where it was discovered.
The intricately decorated mount was discovered in 2022 near Stopham, in the District of Chichester, and dates to AD 600-700. It measures 16.14mm in height, and would probably have served as an eye-catching adornment for a strap securing a sword to its scabbard.
The only other example from West Sussex was acquired by the British Museum in 1981, but this earlier find was incomplete, making the Stopham mount an important discovery for the area.
Thanks to the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and a donation from the landowner, The Novium Museum is close to being able to acquire the artefact, but needs to raise a further £9,000 through a crowdfunding campaign running until 21 November.
If the museum is successful in raising the funding needed to purchase the mount, it will be housed in The Novium Museum’s first-floor gallery, which is free of charge to visit, alongside other displays dedicated to local Anglo-Saxon history. If the appeal is unsuccessful, however, the artefact will first be offered to the British Museum, and if they decline the opportunity to buy the mount, it may go to private sale.
Donors to the crowdfunding appeal can access a number of rewards, including tickets to a talk about Anglo-Saxons in Sussex, and themed items including prints, greetings cards, and tea towels. For more information, see http://www.thenovium.org.uk/stophamtreasure.
‘King Harold Battle Axe’ on display
Harold II may be most famously associated with arrows, but Epping Forest District Museum in Waltham Abbey recently unveiled a new display featuring an axe linked by Victorian tradition to the last king of Anglo-Saxon England.
According to local legend, the Essex town is said to be the final resting place of Harold Godwinson, with his body brought to Waltham Abbey Church following his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
During restorations of the church in 1860 – led by the renowned Victorian architect William Burges – an axe head was discovered in the south aisle, buried four inches below the surface. The original finders believed that they had uncovered the weapon wielded by Harold at Stamford Bridge and Hastings, and photographs from the time show the artefact on display in the church, proudly labelled ‘Harold’s Battle Axe’.
This connection, of course, cannot be confirmed, but Waltham Abbey maintains a strong association with Harold II, commemorating his life with activities and events held throughout the town every October. It was during 2024’s King Harold Day that the axe was added to the museum’s permanent displays.
Epping Forest District Museum is open 10am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Admission is ‘pay if and what you can’. See http://www.efdmuseum.org.uk for more details.
New exhibitions
Tales from the Caves: exploring Nottingham’s underground stories
Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham.
Until 9 March 2025
http://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/tales-from-the-caves
A Silk Road Oasis: life in ancient Dunhuang
British Library, London.
Until 23 February 2025
https://silkroad.seetickets.com/timeslots/filter/a-silk-road-oasis-life-in-ancient-dunhuang
Oracles, Omens and Answers
Weston Library, Oxford.
6 December 2024-27 April 2025
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/oracles-omens-and-answers
Sun and Fire: life and death at the dawn of history
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.
Until 30 April 2025
http://www.shropshiremuseums.org.uk/event/sun-fire-life-and-death-at-thedawn-of-history
Last chance to see
Post-Tudor Artefacts
Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
Until 30 November 2025.
http://www.maryrose.org/events/post-tudor-artefacts
‘Her Booke’: early modern women and their books in Lambeth Palace Library
Lambeth Palace Library, London.
Until 21 November 2025
http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.info/exhibitions/her-booke
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