A Mediaeval silver brooch unearthed by metal detectorist, Simon Tambling, in the Lea last March, has been declared treasure by the county coroner.

An inquest in Gloucester heard that the silver annular brooch, dating from the 13th century, has a thin ’lozenge’ shaped frame. The top side is decorated with a series of closely packed shallow transverse grooves that are infilled with niello (a metallic inlay) creating a striped pattern. The pin is attached via a short cylinder that encompasses a constriction in one corner. The pin that has a circular shaft which narrows to a point. Senior Coroner Katy Skerrett concluded that the object qualified as treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act, in terms of age and precious metal content.