Photograph of a Bronze Age gold torc found by Anthony Collins lying at the side of field while on a walk on Coploe Hills. This led to a Coroner’s Inquiry to establish whether it was treasure trove i.e. the object is old enough for it to be presumed the true owner is dead and the heirs undiscoverable. The Inquiry was held at Ickleton School on the 17th May 1971. Questions were asked of Mr Collins about the circumstances surrounding the find and whether the field was in Essex or Cambridgeshire as the Coploe Hills form a boundary. It was established that the field was in Cambridgeshire, farmed by Mr R Driver and owned by Clare College. The land on the Essex side was farmed by a Mr Griggs. Dr D Clarke, an expert in Bronze Age archaeology at Peterhouse College, Cambridge was sworn in as a witness. He was of the opinion that the torc was probably made from Irish gold and dated from the late Bronze Age, 1,000 – 800 years B.C. The jurors reached a verdict of treasure trove and the torc is kept in the safe hands of the British Museum? A copy of the Inquiry is held in the Archive.
