Gainsboro man strikes gold!

The 4,000 year old strip of decorated gold is the first of its type to have been found in Lincolnshire and experts have described it as an important find.

John Bennett of Claremont Street, Gainsborough, found the item in July this year while checking out a ploughed field in the Corringham area.

In a statement read to the inquest he said: “I found it while looking for metal using my detector. It was underneath the earth in a cultivated field in the Corringham area.”

Lincolnshire County Council’s archaeological finds officer Adam Daubney told the inquest that the fragment of gold may have been part of an item of jewellery or could have been used to decorate a cup.

Mr Daubney said: “It is a thin sheet of gold that would have been stuck onto a larger object.”

“Bronze Age gold is rare. Even though it is an undiagnosed piece of gold it is an important find. It is the first time gold of this type has been found in this county.”

Lincoln Coroner Stuart Fisher ruled that the item is treasure. It will now be offered to a museum for purchase.