Unearthed detectorists from Furness uncover rare Bronze Age artefacts in Cumbria

Residents from across the county joined the Dalton-based metal detectorist group - Unearthed UK - to help uncover the region's hidden past over the last few months.

Recently, Bronze Age finds have been cropping up 'almost every time they go out' on a number of farmlands near Penrith, to the amazement of Unearthed UK's Graeme Rushton, who organises the events.

"We have had some exciting finds in recent weeks all made by people from the area," he said.

DETECTOR: Graeme Rushton

"We have had an early flat axe and a linchpin from the Bronze Age but there has been a mix of everything.

"They are now just waiting for people in antiquity to record them now."

The hand axe in particular was one of the most exciting finds as Graeme believes that this was one of the first metal tools used by man in the Bronze Age (3000 - 1000 BCE).

FIND: Bronze Age axe find

"We always called Cumbria the lost county for history because although there is people that have written things about the county's past, there is still a lot of unknown about this era until recently when detectorists uncovered so much history," Mr Rushton continued.

"We just keep uncovering so many Bronze Age artefacts.

"Another great thing about this is that the farmers are wanting to know more about their own farm's history and are actively engaging which is beneficial for both parties really."

The Bronze Age spanned from 3,300 to 1,200 BCE and is characterised by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacturing of implements and weapons. This period ended with further advancements in metallurgy, such as the ability to smelt iron ore.

This Summer has been a huge success for the Unearthed team in Cumbria with August saw the team of detectorists uncover a hoard of coins at an undisclosed site near Penrith dating back to between 1100 and 1219.

DIG: Bronze Age Adze

"The four coins found from medieval times date back to Henry I, Richard I (the Lionheart), John I, and Henry III," Mr Rushton said.

"People from Barrow, Walney, Dalton, and Carlisle made the finds and they have now been received as treasure by the coroner."

Mr Rushton was really pleased with the number of people engaging with the days out which he believes is a real boost to helping retain the knowledge of the wealth of history the county has to offer.