Bronze Age gold will remain in the Cotswolds (Gloucestershire, England) after residents raised £20,000 to buy it. The jewellery, dating back to 1150 BCE, was discovered by treasure hunter Steve Taylor while searching in a Cirencester field in 2004. The town was set to lose the treasure as plans were made to put it on the open market. But the Corinium Museum got hold of the cash in the nick of time to make sure it stays in the county. Now the 59 historic items will be put on permanent show for visitors to the Park Street attraction.
     Museum curator John Paddock thanked the public for keeping the treasure trove in Gloucestershire. He said: "We're grateful for all the support we've received. We've had everything from children giving 50p donations to larger grants."
     Mr Taylor's find will net him half the cash. The rest will go to the landowner. "The collection includes hair pieces, necklaces, bracelets and rings." Mr Taylor hit the jackpot when he unearthed the largest hoard of buried Bronze Age treasure ever discovered in Britain. It took him three weeks to find the lot. Mr Paddock said the gold pieces provide valuable clues to how people lived in Gloucestershire during the Bronze Age. He said: "We tend to think of people from what was previously known as Wessex as being wealthy, but it shows people living in the Cotswolds were equally affluent."
     The hoard is being stored at the British Museum in London but will go on show in Cirencester in the summer. For more information, contact the museum on 01285 655611.

Source: Gloucestershire Echo (1 February 2007)