Treasure in St Austell

The Treasure Hid by the Saxon Priest




The stream by the old church on Bodmin Road yielded a rare treasure for the British Museum.


A thousand years ago,
when the Vikings were harrying Cornwall,
a Saxon priest hid his treasure
in a heap of loose stones under a slate.
His chief treasure was a silver chalice
of King Alfred's day and small ornaments
and a silver wire with a glass bead at the end.
Slowly the earth covered the hoard till
it was 17 feet deep, and at last the
tin miners of St Austell brought it to light.
The silver wire with the bead at the end
is known as a scourge, and is said to be
the only complete one of its kind.

from "The King's England".



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