The pommel dates from the seventh century and although not complete, it shows the skill of its maker. It is finely decorated with filigree interlace surrounded by a beaded border. Its decoration represents some of the highest quality Anglo-Saxon artistry. Any object made of gold in this period represents high status.
Decorating functional objects such as swords shows both great wealth and status. The discovery of this object suggests a possibly unknown princely burial in the area. Or as the Staffordshire Hoard has illustrated; it may have been lost after being stripped from a dead enemy on a battlefield elsewhere.
Maybe there is a Leicestershire 'Sutton Hoo' or 'Staffordshire Hoard' still waiting to be discovered?
