Britain's biggest ever haul of Viking treasure found

The largest haul of Viking treasure ever found in Britain has been unearthed by a metal detector enthusiast, it was revealed today.

The discovery was found on Church of Scotland land after the detectorist painstakingly searched the unidentified area in Dumfries and Galloway for more than a year.

The hoard, which consists of more than a hundred artefacts, many of which are historically unique, is now under the care of the Treasure Trove Unit and is regarded as being of significant international importance.

The hoard also includes a complete metal vessel containing more objects. It has not yet been emptied and the first step will be to examine its contents by X-ray.

Finder Derek McLennan, 47, was left speechless when he made the discovery in early September and was so emotional that when he called his wife she thought that he had been in a car accident.


Within the find is an early Christian solid silver cross, thought to date from the Ninth or Tenth centuries.

The cross is engraved with decorations that, experts say, are highly unusual, which Mr McLennan believes may represent the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.


Mr McLennan said: “I believe they resemble the carvings you can see on the remnants of St Cuthbert's coffin in Durham Cathedral.

“For me, the cross opens up the possibility of an intriguing connection with Lindisfarne and Iona.”

It was found amongst dozens of silver arm-rings and ingots two feet below the surface, deeper than his detector was thought to reach.

See more on the Daily Mail website.