Metal detectorist donates medieval find to Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

Kathy Bonehill was relatively new to the hobby when she discovered the near complete copper-alloy chape, which dates back to AD400 to AD600.

The chape - a decorative tip to a dagger's scabbard - has been declared a 'find of note' by the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme, which keeps a record of archaeology finds in England and Wales.

And the find has now gone on display in Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's archaeology gallery after Kathy kindly donated the chape to the museum's collection.

Reliving her discovery earlier this year, Kathy said: "I've been metal detecting in the Warwickshire countryside with a regular group for a couple of years, uncovering some fascinating items along the way, yet nothing compares to this stunning dagger chape.

"I found it on the very edge of a farmer's field in Kings Newnham. At first, it was clagged with dirt, its beautiful detail hidden beneath layers of grime.

"Only after an hour of patient work with a wooden cocktail stick did the design begin to emerge - and I realised I was holding something truly special, perhaps even unique.

"There's a thrill in moments like this," Kathy added. "The slow reveal of craftmanship long buried, the sense of connection to lives lived centuries ago."

The chafe's decorative design features a human face flanked by a pair of birds - possibly representing Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology, and his ravens, Huginn and Muninn.

Ring-and-dot motifs run along the lower edge of both birds and vertically through the 'body' of the human form.

Weighing just nine grams, the chafe measures three-and-a-half centimetres in length, two-and-a-half centimetres in width and just under a centimetre in thickness at its widest part.

Cllr Maggie O'Rourke, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for partnerships and wellbeing, said: "We're delighted Kathy has chosen to donate this stunning find to the museum's local history collection so we can share it with visitors to Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.

"It's amazing how much history lies undiscovered in our borough, with Kathy's generous donation coming hot on the heels of the museum's acquisition of a medieval brooch discovered by a metal detectorist in a field near Birdingbury, thanks to a grant from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund."

Cllr Neil Sandison, Rugby Borough Council's Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for partnerships and wellbeing, added: "What a marvellous find. We had been aware Vikings had been active in the Rugby area and this now provides evidence of them being present in medieval Warwickshire.

"A big 'thank you' to Kathy for her donation to Rugby Art Gallery and Museum."

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk