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| Anglo Saxon gold mount 'mystery' in Norfolk | Anglo Saxon gold mount 'mystery' in Norfolk |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A "mystery" gold mount found in a Norfolk field has provided "another piece of the jigsaw" for historians looking for Anglo-Saxon settlements. | A "mystery" gold mount found in a Norfolk field has provided "another piece of the jigsaw" for historians looking for Anglo-Saxon settlements. |
| The item was found near Fakenham and is possibly from a sword grip, but experts say it has differences to similar finds. | |
| Dr Andrew Rogerson, county archaeologist, said: "It's a fragment, but there's no context for it." | Dr Andrew Rogerson, county archaeologist, said: "It's a fragment, but there's no context for it." |
| No evidence of dwellings has ever been found in the village. | No evidence of dwellings has ever been found in the village. |
| The Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is in the process of valuing the item, said it was "similar to sword-grip mounts from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Staffordshire Hoard". | The Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is in the process of valuing the item, said it was "similar to sword-grip mounts from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Staffordshire Hoard". |
| But because the mount, which dates back to the late 6th or early 7th Centuries, lacks "small perforations for attachment", its "precise function... is not clear". | But because the mount, which dates back to the late 6th or early 7th Centuries, lacks "small perforations for attachment", its "precise function... is not clear". |
| The Norfolk coroner will hold an inquest in March to decide if it should be recorded as a treasure find. | The Norfolk coroner will hold an inquest in March to decide if it should be recorded as a treasure find. |
| 'High status' | 'High status' |
| Dr Rogerson, who works at the county's Historic Environment Service in Gressenhall, said four other items, including a brooch and a belt mount, had been discovered in the area in recent years. | |
| "The new mount may have come from a sword clasp, but it's a bit of a mystery," he said. | "The new mount may have come from a sword clasp, but it's a bit of a mystery," he said. |
| "This is a high-status item, not unlike pieces found at the Staffordshire Hoard, and it's another piece of the jigsaw as we slowly find out more about settlements across East Anglia. | "This is a high-status item, not unlike pieces found at the Staffordshire Hoard, and it's another piece of the jigsaw as we slowly find out more about settlements across East Anglia. |
| "The chances of there not being people living there and working the land are remote, but there would need to be a huge survey looking for a settlement to fully understand the land-use in the area." | "The chances of there not being people living there and working the land are remote, but there would need to be a huge survey looking for a settlement to fully understand the land-use in the area." |
| The mount was found by Barrie Placsom, 70, last year, during a charity search aimed at raising money from any finds for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. | |
| He said: "I thought I'd found a bottle top, put it in my pocket and didn't bother looking at it again until later." | He said: "I thought I'd found a bottle top, put it in my pocket and didn't bother looking at it again until later." |