News


Rare pendant’s museumhome


KENT’SKingÆthelberhtwas in- troducingChristianity to the land. The Northumbrians were having a punch-upwith theWelsh.And, in Maidstone, an Anglo Saxon craftsman was giving vent to his creative urges. As the English nation was being


forgedinthe seismicyearsof the late 6th and early 7th centuries, the un- known local artisan was setting an old Roman seal into a mount of gold. The pendant he shaped never


passedintothepagesofhistory, like the foundation of religion or the bloody battles of its time. It was lost, instead, in an anony-


mous field in the borough, until beingdiscoveredmore than a thou- sand years later by a man with a metal detector called Owen Bal- dock. Despite the find being his first in


15yearsofhunting,MrBaldockand the unnamed owner of the land where it was uncovered, waived


their rights to a reward lastmonth, and donated the pendant toMaid- stoneMuseum. Expertsat theBritishMuseumsay


the find,made inAugust lastyear, is already giving promising insights into the turbulent times of its cre- ation. It is inlaid with a Roman carved


stone seal, or intaglio, as its jewel, and depicts the goddess Minerva and the godMars. Historians say themotif is an un-


usual combination for the Roman period, and its use inAnglo-Saxon jewellery is extremely rare. Maidstone Museum’s director


Victoria Barlow said: “The Anglo- Saxon period is a fascinating time and these amazing objects survive for us to appreciate centuries later. “In due course, this will give us


exciting new insights into the tran- sitionfromRomanBritaintoAnglo- Saxon England. “This is a generous donation and we are delighted to accept it.”


Solved: postal ordermystery


THE mystery of what happened to BrianSpillett’s seventhbirthdaypres- ent of a five shillings postal order more than 70 years ago has been solved. Hisauntieandunclepostedthegift


fromMedwaytohishomeinBuckland Road, Maidstone – but it never reached Brian. The current owners of the house had building work carried outandwhenthefloorboardsnearthe frontdoorwereliftedthelong-lostand verydustyenvelopecametolight. Brian’sfatherworkedforMaidstone


builders Goodsell and became com- panysecretarywhenthelimitedcom- panywas formedin1957,aroleBrian


took on later. During a recent visit by Briantomeet current companychair- man, JohnGoodsell, theyvisitedparts ofoldMaidstoneandwhentheydrove alongBucklandRoadspoketothecur- rent owner of the house who was in frontof theproperty. Soon afterwards, the owners re-


membered the postal order and passedit toBrianviaMrGoodsell. “How amazing,” said Brian (79),


who now lives in Berkshire. “All my family have been fascinated by the news and the postal order is now a cherished souvenir. My cousin Joan, wasparticularlypleasedthatherpar- ents’gift tomehasbeendiscovered.”


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Maidstone August 2019


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