York Historic Environment Record

A hoard of Late Saxon ornamental metalwork, comprising two matching sets of four strapends each and four fragments of an openwork silver disc, was discovered in the parish of Upper Poppleton, on the outskirts of York. Particular emphasis is laid on the date, function, manufacture and localisation of the strap-ends, which rank amongst the most accomplished examples yet discovered of this ubiquitous class of Late Saxon ornamental metalwork. On the basis of close stylistic links drawn to other artistic media from the north of the Humber, it is argued that these strap-ends occupy a focal point in the definition of a 9th-century Northumbrian metalworking tradition embodying a regional version of the Trewhiddle style.

The fourteen silver fragments which constitute this hoard, were discovered
in a ploughed field by five detectorists over a three-year period (spanning 1998
to 2001), on Burlands Farm in the parish of Upper Poppleton, North Yorkshire.
Testimonies by the finders indicate that the objects were scattered fairly widely
within the ploughsoil at a consistent depth of between four and six inches
(c. 10–15 cm). The ‘freshness’ of some of the breaks observed on the damaged
pieces, and the lack of other contemporary finds from the field, strongly suggests
that the finds were derived from a single deposit only recently dispersed by the
plough.

2006, Reflections on a ‘9th-century’ Northumbrian Metalworking Tradition: A Silver Hoard from Poppleton,
Reflections on a 9th century Northumbrian Metal Tradition: A Silver Hoard (Article in Journal). SYO1768.