The Church of Scotland is suing a man for a share of a $2.5
million Viking treasure trove he discovered with a metal detector on church
land in 2014.
Retired businessman and detectorist Derek McLennan uncovered the 10th-century
hoard in a field in the Dumfries and Galloway region of western Scotland.
The treasure trove, known as the Galloway Hoard, is regarded as one of the
richest and most significant finds of Viking objects ever found in the United
Kingdom. It included rare silver bracelets and brooches, a gold ring, a
bird-shaped gold pin and an enameled Christian cross.
“I unearthed the first piece, initially I didn’t understand what I had
found because I thought it was a silver spoon and then I turned it over and
wiped my thumb across it and I saw the Saltire-type of design and knew
instantly it was Viking,” McLennan told the BBC at the time of the
discovery.
Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish culture secretary, noted that the Galloway Hoard
“is one of the most important collections ever discovered in Scotland,”
and “opens a window on a significant period in the history of
Scotland,” according to National Museums Scotland.
Read more about the lawsuit filed by the Church of Scotland on the CNN website HERE
