The Furness Hoard is a hoard

Hoard

In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...

 of Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 silver coins and other artefacts dating to the 9th and 10th Century that was discovered in Furness

Furness

Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....

, Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in May 2011 by an unnamed metal detectorist. The exact location of the find, as well as the names of the finder and the landowner, have not been made public.

Description

The hoard comprises 92 silver coins, including two Arabic dirhams, several silver ingots, and one silver bracelet. The hoard is thought to have been deposited in about AD 955.

Significance

This is the largest Viking hoard ever to have been found in the Furness area, and has been described as a "missing link" because it is the first significant archaeological evidence of Norse

Norse activity in the British Isles

Norse activity in the British Isles occurred during the Early Mediaeval period, when members of the Norse populations of Scandinavia traveled to the British Isles for trade, raiding and settlement...

 inhabitation in the area even though many local place names, such as Barrow

Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...

, Yarlside

Yarlside

Yarlside is a hill in the Howgill Fells, Cumbria, England....

, Roa

Roa

Roa may refer to:*Roanoke Regional Airport, a regional airport located in Virginia.*Carlos Roa, an Argentine football goalkeeper*The kiwi bird*The Roa Incline railway*Peugeot ROA, an Iranian made car*Roa, Burgos in Burgos Province, Spain*Roa, Norway...

and Ormsgill

Ormsgill

Ormsgill is a ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It is bordered by Hindpool, Parkside, Hawcoat, Roanhead and the Walney Channel. The population of the ward in 2001 stood at 5,961...

, are Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 in origin.

Display

The hoard has been held at the Dock Museum

Dock Museum

The Dock Museum is situated in the town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Its exhibits are largely based around the history of the town, heavily focusing on the shipbuilding industry at VSEL , the steelworks industry — of which Barrow once had the world's largest and the World War II bombings...

 in Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...

 since discovery, and the Dock Museum has indicated that it hopes to acquire the hoard after it has been valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee

Treasure Valuation Committee

The Treasure Valuation Committee is an independent body based in London, which offers expert advice to the government on items of declared treasure finds in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland that museums may wish to acquire from the Crown...

.

See also

• List of hoards in Britain
• Cuerdale Hoard
  Cuerdale Hoard
  The Cuerdale Hoard is a hoard of more than 8,600 items including silver coins, English and Carolingian jewellery, hacksilver and ingots. It was discovered on 15 May 1840 on the southern bank of a bend of the River Ribble, in an area called Cuerdale in South Ribble near to the city of Preston,...
  
  
• Penrith Hoard
  Penrith Hoard
  The Penrith Hoard is a dispersed hoard of 10th century silver penannular brooches found at Flusco Pike, Newbiggin Moor, Near Penrith in Cumbria, and now in the British Museum in London. The largest "thistle brooch" was discovered in 1785 and another in 1830, with the bulk of items being recovered...
  
  
• Vale of York Hoard