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A simple day of metal detecting in Essex turned into an extraordinary treasure discovery when four-year-old James Hyatt uncovered a gold pendant believed to date back around 500 years.
James was with his father while searching a field in Hockley when the metal detector gave a strong signal. After digging several inches into the ground, they caught a glimpse of gold and uncovered what turned out to be a rare reliquary pendant from the 16th century. The discovery was made in 2010, when the object was the subject of a treasure trove inquest. The pendant was estimated at the time to be worth up to £2.5 million, although its eventual valuation and fate became a separate part of its story.
Its religious imagery and unusual design made the tiny object particularly significant to archaeologists and historians.
A four-year-old's metal detecting trip uncovered a remarkable treasure
James Hyatt, from Billericay, Essex, was only four when he discovered it while using a metal detector with his father. The pair had been searching a field in Hockley when the detector suddenly produced a strong signal. His father, Jason, dug down around six to eight inches and noticed something shining beneath the soil.
What they pulled from the ground was not a modern object or an ordinary piece of metal, but a gold pendant dating from the 16th century.
The object was later declared a treasure trove at an Essex inquest. At the time of the discovery, the pendant was thought to be worth as much as £2.5 million. Under the treasure rules, any proceeds from a sale would be shared between the landowner and the person or people responsible for finding the object.
The gold pendant was designed to hold a religious relic
The small pendant was far more unusual than its gold exterior initially suggested. The British Museum examined the object and found that it weighed just 8.68 grams, or roughly one-third of an ounce, with gold making up as much as 73% of its composition. An engraved image on the front is believed to represent the Virgin Mary. She is shown holding a cross, with markings on it that may represent blood. The back of the pendant contains another striking detail: a panel that would once have opened to reveal a small cavity.
According to the British Museum's assessment reported by the BBC, that space was probably intended to hold a religious relic. The pendant is also decorated with the five wounds of Christ, imagery associated with late medieval Christian devotion. The combination of precious metal, religious imagery and a relic compartment makes the object an especially unusual survival from the period.
The Essex discovery showed how much history can lie beneath ordinary fields
Finding the pendant helps us understand the religion and craft of Britain in the 16th century.
Though the person to whom the pendant belonged is not known, the pendant's design shows that whoever owned it appreciated not only its valuable composition but also its religious symbolism. Moreover, the pendant is another example of how metal detecting sometimes helps unearth artefacts of historical importance. James and his father were searching for something in a regular field, but the detector pointed them to the item that had been buried for many years.
The find was subsequently examined by the British Museum and formally recognised as treasure. Its estimated value attracted considerable attention, but the historical importance of the pendant went beyond its monetary worth. The artefact provided evidence of the religious beliefs and artistic traditions of the period in which it was created. For James, it began as a childhood adventure with a metal detector. Instead, it became an archaeological discovery that brought a rare piece of Britain's past back into view.
