Save a Pocklington Anglo Saxon artefact from export

A temporary export bar has been placed on a rare Anglo-Saxon, Gold and Garnet panel discovered at Pocklington

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An export bar has been placed on a rare Anglo-Saxon, Gold and Garnet Panel that was discovered in Pocklington to provide an opportunity for a UK gallery or institution to acquire it for the nation.

​The panel (c. 600-670) was found with a metal detector near Pocklington on March 6, 2013 and has never been publicly exhibited.

The discovery is significant as it potentially offers insight into the study of artistic, political and cultural relationships between two of the most powerful kingdoms in 7th-century England, East Anglia in the east, and Northumbria in the north.

The item comprises a gold and garnet cloisonné panel of trapezoidal shape and displays clear links to the significant gold and garnet cloisonné metalwork from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Staffordshire Hoard.

The upper surface is filled with tiny interlocking cloisons or cells made from upright strips of gold soldered to a sheet gold backplate and filled with hand-cut garnets.

Arts Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said: “Across the country, detectorists continue to make important discoveries, which help tell us the history of our nation.

“This beautiful panel potentially holds information into how the mediaeval kingdoms of this country interacted and co-existed.

"I hope a UK buyer can be found so it can be studied further and its stories can be shared with the public.”

Committee member Tim Pestell said: “Amid the bitter politics of seventh-century England, rival kingdoms fought to gain power and prestige. An important way of expressing their resulting wealth was through delicate and technically complex pieces of jewellery like this example, found near Pocklington in Yorkshire.

"Using tiny hand-cut garnets set in gold cells or cloisons, the designs used in this example finds ready parallels in the better-known metalwork of Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire Hoard. I hope that the bar placed on its export allows a museum to acquire this wonderful artefact as it has much yet to tell us about this pivotal period in English history.”

The decision on the export licence application for the panel will be deferred for a period ending on 23 March 2025 inclusive.

At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the panel at the recommended price of £3,968 (inclusive of VAT of £128 [which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution]).

We have until 23rd March 2025 to raise £4,000. If we do not reach the target or if unsuccessful in the bidding process, the money will be donated to the registered Charity Pocklington District Heritage Trust which will create a Museum and Heritage Centre for the town and nearby villages in Burnby Hall. If we exceed the target, the excess will be used to purchase an environmentally controlled display cabinet with spot lights for our museum in Burnby Hall.

We intend for the piece to be looked after by the East Riding Museum Service until we have our Museum operational in the town and on the path to full accreditation. We can then put it on display for local residents and schoolchildren to view and research.