A North Yorkshire village has raised hundreds of pounds to help with conservation and display of magnificent hoard discovery.
The Yorkshire Museum is delighted to announce they have received a generous gift of £701.24 from the villagers of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, towards continued conservation and exhibition of the incredible Iron Age discovery, the Melsonby Hoard.
Discovered in 2021 by metal detectorists nearby to Melsonby village, this unprecedented discovery contains over 900 Iron Age objects, predominantly elaborate metalwork, symbolising the power and international connections in the North of England from over two thousand years ago.
On 7 October this year, Melsonby village hosted Professor Tom Moore of Durham University, who gave a talk on the excavation of the hoard and what its content might mean for our understanding of the Iron Age. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations from this event have been kindly to the Yorkshire Museum to support the ongoing fundraising campaign around the Melsonby Hoard.
The main fundraising campaign was launched by the Yorkshire Museum earlier this year, and along with support from Durham University, the British Museum, Historic England, generous grants from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and an incredible amount of donations from the general public, the Yorkshire Museum was able to acquire the hoard in its entirety in August 2025.
Dawn Clements, head of development at York Museums Trust, said, “The Yorkshire Museum recently had the pleasure of welcoming Graham, Alan and Mike from the village of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, to thank them for their incredible fundraising efforts. It was inspiring to hear their connections with the discovery and to learn more about what the hoard means to the village. We are so grateful to the people of Melsonby for their continued support and overwhelming generosity.
“Keeping the Melsonby Hoard in Yorkshire is hugely significant for the Yorkshire Museum, the people of Melsonby, and the wider region. It’s so important that the hoard can be kept together in a public setting where it can be researched and displayed for everyone to see for generations to come.”
The Melsonby Hoard has now made its way to the Yorkshire Museum and is preparing for its next stage as part of the public collection. The hoard needs significant further investment to stabilise it, conserve the material and display it safely using specialised equipment and bespoke cases to control temperature and humidity to preserve the objects.
Alan Houston from Melsonby commented, “Local interest in the Hoard is really strong, with it being a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Many of us feel it would be wonderful to have the outstanding collection on display for all to see. Graham, Mike and I will continue to fundraise in the village to support the Yorkshire Museum’s purchase of a specialised case for these incredible finds to be proudly displayed.”
The Yorkshire Museum extend their sincere thanks and gratitude to the people of Melsonby and surrounding area for their support in this next stage of research and exhibition.
Donations can still be made through the Crowdfunder to help continue the vital work on this incredible discovery.
