The Leekfrith torcs are four Iron Age gold torcs found by two hobby metal detectorists in December 2016 in a field in Leekfrith, north Staffordshire, England. The find consists of three neck torcs and a smaller bracelet, which were located in proximity to each other. They are believed to be the oldest Iron Age gold jewellery found in Britain. Subsequent archaeological examination of the area did not uncover further objects.
Description
One of the torcs is a smaller bracelet decorated with ornament in the style of Celtic art, and the other three are neck rings. The bracelet and one of the neck rings are made with twisted gold wire, and the other neck rings have finials shaped like trumpets. One of the latter has been broken into two pieces. The gold content of the four torcs has been measured using x-ray fluorescence to be between 74-78%, with 18-22% silver, some copper, and traces of iron, mercury and tin – a mix consistent with other Iron Age gold finds in Europe. The weight of the pieces varies from to, and over in total. According to Julia Farley, curator of British and European Iron Age collections of the British Museum, the torcs were "most likely" made in the area of what is now Germany or France, most likely in the period 400–250 BCE. Farley commented:
Discovery
The torcs were found by Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania at around noon on 11 December 2016, in a field in Leekfrith that the two men were searching using metal detectors. The men had permission from the landowner for the search. At the time, Hambleton and Kania had not discovered anything of note with their metal detectors besides Victorian coins. They had no fixed plans as they surveyed the field, having started metal detecting as a hobby 18 months before. They found the first three torcs separately, approximately beneath the surface of the field and around apart. The metal detectorists reported the find to a Portable Antiquities Scheme officer based at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery the next day. The last torc was found by the same men, in the same field, several weeks later. Archaeologists subsequently surveyed the site, but found no other items, declaring it a "complete find". They also found no evidence of a settlement or grave on the site. A missing piece of the smallest torc was discovered by the original metal detectorists on 26 February 2017.
