£1 million discovery of Viking artefacts discovered by amateur treasure hunter
A one million pound discovery of Viking artefacts
has been uncovered in south west Scotland by an amateur treasure hunter and his trusty
metal detector. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman from
Ayrshire, stumbled across the massive collection after dragging himself from his sickbed to
go on the trip with two friends. Now he is in line for a bumper payout after
the find was described as one of the most significant of its kind ever discovered in
the UK. In total, more than 100 items were recovered,
including armbands and brooches. A solid silver cross – which has enamelled
decorations which experts consider to be highly unusual – was also amongst the collection. This pot is likely to have been around a hundred
years old when the hoard was buried in the mid 9th or 10th Centuries. Within hours, experts from Historic Scotland
had arrived at the field in Dumfries and Galloway to begin a major excavation of the site.
The discovery comes after lucky Derek hit
the headlines earlier this year after discovering 322 medieval coins in a field..
