Saxon cross discovered in Leeds field to be displayed in museum
A Saxon pendant buried for more than 1,200 years, which was uncovered by a metal detectorist in Leeds, is to go on display in the city.The medieval solid silver cross, which has been gilded with a thin layer of gold leaf, was discovered in a field in 2024 and is to go on display at Leeds City Museum later this year.It is believed to date from the 8th Century and to have once been a badge of office for an important church leader or official.Leeds Museums and Galleries' curator of archaeology Kat Baxter said the pendant was made when Leeds was part of the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.
She said: "The cross is beautifully decorated on both sides, which suggests it was designed to hang around the neck with the suspension loop on the missing arm."It would certainly have been worn by someone of high status and is an outward display of religious identity."Along with a number of other discoveries in the area, it really helps us build a picture of the types of people who would have lived here during this time."
The pectoral cross was found with one arm broken, and the central stone missing, but is decorated with an intricate interlacing Saxon pattern.Leeds Museums and Galleries said its discovery suggests Leeds and the surrounding area may once have been home to influential figures in the early medieval period.The earliest known written reference to Leeds, or Loidis, was made in the 8th Century by the historian and monk the Venerable Bede.The small artefact went through the Portable Antiquities Scheme Treasure process, and was secured by Leeds Museums and Galleries under the Treasure Act 1996.Funding came from the Arts Council England, V&A Purchase Grant Fund, the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, and the Friends of Leeds City Museums.
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