THE penultimate talk of the season on March 21 was entitled ‘The Staffordshire Hoard’ and was given by Dr Chris Upton, senior lecturer in history at Newman College, University of Birmingham.

The members of the society, supplemented by many visitors, were captivated by the presentation during which we were transported back in time to the period after the Romans were called back to Rome, and invasions by many peoples e.g. Vikings, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, which makes the identification of many parts of ‘the hoard’ difficult as there were no coins found in its midst to pinpoint a date.

The hoard is thought by many eminent examiners to be plunder taken after battles, as the majority of the gold items were related to military equipment such as pommels from sword hilts, actual hilts heavily embellished with garnets and semiprecious metals, cheek plates and nose guards from helmets and many other beautiful artefacts. A very topical and thought provoking lecture, ably given by Dr. Upton.

Details of the 2014/15 season will be published later in the year.

For further details, please call 01527 893560.