GOLD jewellery thought to be 2,000 years old is to stay in Yorkshire thanks to a public appeal.

The gold torcs which are the first items of Iron-Age gold jewellery ever found in the north of England have been bought by the Yorkshire Museum.

Both pieces were discovered at Towton, near Tadcaster, by metal detector enthusiasts in 2010 and 2011, and are believed to have belonged to an extremely wealthy member of the Brigantes tribe, which ruled most of North Yorkshire at the time.

The first torc, which is a neck ring or bracelet, was bought by the museum in January 2012 for £25,000 raised through a public appeal, and the second torc has just been bought for £30,000 following a public appeal.

Natalie McCaul, curator of archaeology, said: “It is wonderful news that the funds have been raised to keep this fantastic piece of jewellery. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the public and without their help we may have seen the bracelet enter a private collection.

“We are now looking forward to researching the torcs to learn more about both of them and what they can tell us about life in Yorkshire 2000 years ago.”

The Victoria & Albert Purchase Grant Fund donated £7,000 to the appeal, while the rest of the funding came from charitable funding bodies and individuals who have stayed anonymous.

Both torcs are now on public display in the museum’s reception area. Similar bracelets have been found in Britain, mainly in Norfolk which in the Iron Age was home to the Iceni tribe.

There was no evidence of the Brigantes tribe using gold before the discovery of these torcs – until now the furthest north torcs had been found was in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

The torcs are very similar in appearance to those found in the Snettisham Hoard from Norfolk, which was most likely to have been Royal treasure belonging to the Iceni. This raises the possibility that the bracelets were spoils of war, a gift or used in trade between the two tribes.