HOARD OR GRAVE? INTERPRETING THE SEVENTH‐CENTURY JEWELLERY ASSEMBLAGE FROM DONINGTON‐ON‐BAIN, LINCOLNSHIRE

Summary In 2023, a remarkable assemblage of seventh‐century gold and garnet pendants was discovered by two metal‐detectorists near Donington‐on‐Bain, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, and reported as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 to the Lincolnshire Portable Antiquities Scheme. The assemblage was subsequently declared Treasure and purchased by Lincoln Museum in 2025. This paper presents an analysis of the group, examining the typology, condition, and composition of the items as a coherent assemblage. While pendants are typically associated with burial contexts, this study explores alternative interpretations beyond a disturbed grave. The absence of other necklace elements typically associated with pendant arrangements, along with the presence of a brooch fragment and the condition of the objects, suggests that this group may represent a hoard, a ritual deposit, or a collection of deliberately ‘killed’ items. These possibilities raise important questions about the circulation, reuse, and deposition of high‐status jewellery in the early medieval landscape.