£24,000 push to save Iron Age bracelets (From York Press)
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£24,000 push to save Iron Age gold torcs
8:31am Wednesday 11th January 2012 in News
Natalie McCaul, the Yorkshire Museum’s assistant curator of archaeology, with the gold torcs
A FUNDRAISING campaign to keep two rare Iron Age gold bracelets in our region is running out of time, the Yorkshire Museum has warned.
The two bracelets, known as torcs, were discovered near Tadcaster by two metal detector users in May 2010.
The Yorkshire Museum launched an appeal in November to raise the funds to keep both torcs, but now time is running out to make sure the first one stays in Yorkshire and is accessible to the public.
One thousand pounds has been raised so far, but more than £24,000 is needed by the end of January to stop the bracelet going up for auction where it could be bought by a private collector and possibly not be seen in public again.
Natalie McCaul, assistant curator of archaeology for the Yorkshire Museum, said: “This gold torc is the first Iron Age gold jewellery to be found in the north of England. To look at, it is stunning, but it is also incredibly valuable as part of Yorkshire’s history.
“If we fail to raise the money it may sold anywhere in the world, to the highest bidder. It would mean the public may never see it again and we would lose the chance to hand it over the experts to see if they can reveal some of its secrets.”
Archaeologists say the jewellery would have belonged to an “extremely wealthy” member of the Brigantes tribe and that the find sheds new light on the region before the arrival of the Romans.
Torcs – neck rings or bracelets made of metal wire twisted together – were popular across Europe from the 8th Century BC to the 3rd Century AD. Worn by both men and women, they were a symbol of nobility, power and high status.
The Yorkshire Museum still has more time to raise the money for the second torc as the inquest into its value has not yet been held.
Both torcs will be on show temporarily at the Yorkshire Museum until January 31. Visit the museum, based in York’s Museum Gardens, or visit yorkshiremuseum.org.uk for how to donate online.
