A magnet fisherman was shocked to learn a rusty sword he had pulled from an Oxfordshire river was a 1,200-year-old Viking weapon.
Trevor Penny was using a powerful magnet to look for metal objects in the River Cherwell near Enslow when he made the fascinating find.
Excited, he notified his local finds liaison officer and gave the sword to experts to verify.
They have now dated the weapon to around 850 AD and say it would have once belonged to a Viking.
At the time, England was divided between the Anglo-Saxons and Danish Vikings and there was much unrest between the two sides.
In 851 Danish Vikings landed near Plymouth, moved up through the Thames Estuary and plundered Canterbury and London.
However, they were defeated by Anglo-Saxon forces led by King Ethelwulf of Wessex.
His eldest son Æthelstan of Kent attacked a Viking fleet off the coast of Sandwich, and captured nine of the enemy boats.
The sword was pulled from the River Cherwell (Picture: Trevor Penny/Triangle News)
Mr Penny, who found the sword in November, said the discovery and authentication has been thrilling, but not without some stress.
‘There was a little dispute with the landowner and the rivers trust who don’t permit magnet fishing,’ he explained.
Mr Penny, who found the sword in November, said the discovery and authentication has been thrilling, but not without some stress.
‘There was a little dispute with the landowner and the rivers trust who don’t permit magnet fishing,’ he explained.
“The latter sent a legal document saying they wouldn’t take action on the condition the sword was passed to a museum, which I had done.”
Magnet fishing needs permission and anything found belongs to the landowner.
The sword stuck to the powerful (Picture: Trevor Penny/Triangle News)
The sword has since been authenticated as Viking and dated to between 850 and 975 AD.
It will now be looked after by Oxfordshire museums and may one day go on display.
‘It really did feel quite amazing – it’s the oldest thing found in this county magnet fishing,’ Mr Penny said.
‘The [local finds liaison] officer said it was archaeologically rare to find whole swords and treasure of historical importance still intact.
‘It was a proud moment to find it.’