The Partners in the project

Staffordshire County Council

The county council is responsible for protecting the physical remains of Staffordshire’s past whether this is archaeological sites, monuments, historic buildings or even whole historic landscapes. Under the Treasure Act the find was reported to the county council and officers have since been responsible for the excavation and recording of the find.

Philip Atkins, Leader of the county council said:

We will ensure the Hoard, and the fascinating story that lies behind it becomes as accessible to the public as possible. This is Staffordshire’s heritage and we will do it justice.

Birmingham City Council

Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (BMAG) has provided secure storage for the items and workspace for the specialist ‘finds adviser’ to carry out initial cataloguing work and analysis, including X-ray and XRF (X-ray fluorescence) scans.

BMAG is responsible for managing three Finds Liaison Officers, for the region and the Staffordshire Hoard was initially reported to Duncan Slarke, Finds Liaison Officer for Staffordshire and the West Midlands, based at the museum.

Councillor Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

We are absolutely delighted to be playing a significant part in this remarkable and historic find. I am particularly proud to say that the first artefacts will go on public display at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Stoke-on-Trent City Council runs the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and is collecting authority for archaeological finds for the area where the Hoard was discovered.

Leader Ross Irving said:

We are thrilled that this treasure has been unearthed in the county. We will be working very closely with neighbouring authorities to secure these incomparible artefacts for the region’s economy and heritage.

English Heritage

English Heritage immediately recognised the exceptional nature of the finds and provided £25K of emergency funds and specialist advice to Staffordshire County Council to assist in the vital task of retrieving the precious archaeology and preserving its context.

Portable Antiquities Scheme

The Portable Antiquities Scheme records archaeological finds found by members of the public and publishes them on its online database,www.finds.org.uk. There is a network of Finds Liaison Officers based in museums and county councils around England and Wales and six National Finds Advisers and other staff based at the British Museum. The project is managed by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

The British Museum

The British Museum has a statutory role in the administration of the Treasure Act on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Staff provide advice on finds to the coroner and provide the secretariat of the Treasure Valuation Committee.

The Treasure Valuation Committee advises the Secretary of State on the valuation of finds of Treasure that museums wish to acquire.

University of Birmingham

Birmingham Archaeology (part of the University of Birmingham) were initially invited by Staffordshire County Council to provide assistance with the excavation. Based on the quantity and distribution of finds recovered from the test-pit it was decided by Staffordshire County Council in consultation with English Heritage and the Portable Antiquities Scheme to extend the area for investigation. Birmingham Archaeology also undertook a rapid geophysical survey of the whole field. Outside the area for hand excavation Birmingham Archaeology provided assistance with metal detector surveys which aimed to recover any objects associated with the Hoard.