Grant to the Staffordshire Hoard

Submitted by: Steadfast news correspondent, 19th Jan 10

"These artefacts form part of the communal history of the English people"

In July 2009, a metal detector enthusiast discovered in farmland close to his home in Lichfield, Staffordshire, over 1500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. This amounted to the most valuable treasure hoard ever discovered in the UK, worth £3.3 million.

In secret, a team of experts – including archaeologists, a flying squad from the British Museum, and a special team from the Home Office who usually deal with crime forensics – arrived at the Staffordshire site. No one had seen anything like it, and some were moved to tears.

By 24 September, the final pieces of what has become known as the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ were unearthed – amounting to an awe-inspiring collection of over 1,500 items.

On 26 November, the expert valuation was confirmed at £3.3million – exceeding the initial, tentative estimate of £1million. In total, the Staffordshire Hoard is made up of 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver – topping the record set by the treasures unearthed in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, in 1938, which included 2kg of gold.


The Art Fund is leading the campaign to jointly acquire the Staffordshire Hoard for Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, keeping it in the nation of England.

The Art Fund is an independent charity that exists to save art for everyone to enjoy.

We have until 17 April to raise the £3.3million needed to save the Hoard for the nation. If we do not raise the money by 17 April, the Hoard could be sold on the open market since the UK Government rarely involves itself in using public money on protecting such finds.

Some of the smallest fragments in the Staffordshire Hoard have been valued at £20, with more highly decorated pieces valued at several thousand pounds. The best-preserved and most decorated items, such as the gold cross, are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.


The Steadfast Trust has pledged £500 towards the sum needed and will promote the cause through its various medias, such as our mailing list and website. The Steadfast Trust is committed to its charitable objectives of...

ADVANCING THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN ANGLO-SAXON MUSIC AND OTHER FORMS OF ART AND CULTURE (BOTH MODERN AND ANCIENT);

...and the charity has the permission to pursue the objectives through grants to other charities / Voluntary bodies.

For those wishing to help this worthy cause please click on the banner link below


Please note that under the terms of the donation, if the Art Fund is unsuccessful in securing the Hoard for the West Midlands, then the donation will be returned to the Steadfast Trust.

We are willing to help out as a grant giving organisation with any charity or community group whose aims meet our own and all the Trustees have agreed that this is a most worthwhile cause. Sadly the sum donated isn't as great as we would like, since for 2010 the Steadfast Trust has a number of planned projects that will need financial support. Every little bit helps and this grant along with the many thousands of others collected by The Art Fund will go towards helping to secure these treasures, fashioned by our ancestors, which are of historical significance to the ethnic English. These artefacts form part of the communal history of the English people and it is of the utmost importance that they remain in England for future generations to enjoy and to learn from.
Steadfast Trust Trustee
Julien Crighton