Sisters find 'epic' Anglo-Saxon brooch at campsite

The brooch was the first thing Georgia and Evie found at the dig

Two sisters who discovered an Anglo-Saxon brooch at a campsite have had their find authenticated by the British Museum.

Georgia, 10, and Evie, 12, found the brooch - which dates back to the 6th Century - during a Derbyshire Scout Archaeology event at the campsite in Willesley, Leicestershire.

At first, it was believed the brooch was a replica, due to its thickness and shape, and the fact the site is used by re-enactment groups.

The pair's mother Jo said they were "really excited" about their discovery.

Morgause Lomas (middle) says they did "a proper excavation" at the campsite which was "really cool"

The event was the first of its kind at the site, with the find made on the afternoon of 21 July.

Jo, from Repton in Derbyshire, said: "They [Georgia and Evie] came home full of stories of the day but they didn't think it was going to be very old.

"When they heard the news that it was 1,500 years old, they couldn't believe it.

"They were only expecting to find tent pegs, so this made it even more special."

Because the brooch is made of less than 10% precious metal, it is not classed as treasure and is therefore partly owned by the archaeology group and the site.

It is hoped the piece will be loaned to a local museum to be displayed.

The copper-alloy "great square headed brooch" is dated between 520 and 575 AD by the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme

Morgause Lomas, team lead at Derbyshire Scout Archaeology, said: "[The brooch] was actually the first thing the girls found.

"They pretty much didn't find anything else because everyone was so excited. It was pretty epic.

"Our metal detecting lead had to sit down, she was pretty flustered when we found it. We didn't believe the site went back that far."

Megan Gard, finds liaison officer at Rutland County Museum, said brooches were the most recorded object type from the early medieval period on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database.

"That being said, a lot of the brooches recorded are fragments or incomplete," she added.

"It is less common that they turn up as complete as this example.

"This brooch has potentially been lost by a child of the period, it is smaller than most great square headed brooches.

"Another brooch similar to the one found by the scouts was excavated from the grave of a child."