THE Dawlish Hoard is forming part of a new display of Bronze Age finds at Exeter City Council’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM).

The Dawlish Hoard was discovered in 2017 by metal-detectorists in a boggy field near Dawlish.

It had lain buried for about 3,000 years, since the late Bronze Age.

The treasure consists of four gold bracelets, eleven fragments of bronze ingot, two small tin nuggets, two fragments of axe and a section of bronze sword.

This new display was made possible thanks to generous donations totalling £12,000 from over 200 individuals. Local people and organisations rallied together in 2018 to save the Dawlish Hoard to ensure that it can be enjoyed by the people of Devon and beyond for generations to come.

These donations have funded purchase of the hoard and specialist cleaning and stabilising by RAMM’s conservation team.

The other finds on display show how unique the Dawlish Hoard is; its combination of gold and bronze objects is different to the groups of bronze objects more often found. All of the finds, however, show the pattern of metalwork being chopped up or deliberately damaged prior to burial.

RAMM’s assistant curator, Thomas Cadbury says: ‘RAMM is all about making the heritage of this area accessible to local people. The display of the Dawlish Hoard gives visitors an intriguing insight into Bronze Age culture and societies; communities that are not only remote in time to our own, but display fascinatingly different attitudes and values.’

The museum extends its thanks to the Headley Trust, Victoria and Albert Museum, Devon County Council, Refinitiv, the Friends of RAMM and Erin Cox Jewellery who made generous grants.

‘Thanks also to local groups, including the Friends of Dawlish Library, Newton Abbot District Metal Detecting Club and the Devon Archaeological Society and the many individuals who contributed to the campaign to save the Dawlish Hoard.’

The Dawlish Hoard can now be seen on display in RAMM’s Courtyard Wall alongside other recent Bronze Age finds.