Civil War treasure goes on display after cash raised to keep it in region

Wakefield Council launched an appeal last October to raise the £54,492 needed to ensure the Ackworth Hoard was not lost.

The authority has now secured £39,000 towards the target and a selection of the hoard has today gone on display in Pontefract.

Council chiefs have secured £27,000 from the Victoria and Albert Museum and £10,000 from the Headley Trust. Members of the public donated £2,000.

Owen Johnson, 53, discovered just under 600 gold and silver coins in a ceramic pot while digging in his garden at High Ackworth in July 2011. The coins could have been stashed underground between 1645 and 1646 by a Royalist who feared it would be looted by Roundheads, at around the same time as the siege of nearby Pontefract Castle. Also discovered was a gold ring inscribed “When this you see, remember me”. At Wakefield Coroner’s Court last March, an inquest ruled the find belongs to the state.

Coun David Dagger said: “We are delighted to have secured part of the hoard for display at Pontefract Museum. Thank you to those who have already donated. We still need more support to secure The hoard in its entirety so every donation will help save the items for Yorkshire.”

Donation envelopes are available at Pontefract Museum, Pontefract Castle, Sandal Castle, Wakefield Tourist Information Centre or Wakefield district libraries. Cheques payable to Wakefield Council – The Ackworth Hoard can be sent to Pontefract Museum, 5 Salter Row, Pontefract, WF8 1BA.