Viking Sword and Brooches Found on Isle of Man

A metal detectorist on the Isle of Man has turned up one of the island’s richest Viking Age finds: a decorated sword, three bronze brooches, trading weights and a ladle, all dating to around AD 900. Manx National Heritage says the group may come from a double burial of a man and a woman. If the brooches turn out to be as old as they look, they could mark the earliest known female Viking Age grave on the island.

A Find Left Uncleaned

Daniel Crowe found the objects. A fellow detectorist, Rhett Britton, helped with the search and found the axehead, part of the balance scales and some further iron objects. The Isle of Man Coroner for Inquests has declared the collection Treasure. Reports do not give a findspot or a find date, and they mention only an unnamed landowner.

Crowe made one choice that mattered. He did not clean the finds. Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, said, “Daniel’s decision not to clean the finds was particularly important, allowing us to preserve valuable evidence for further study.” The Radiology Team at Manx Care then ran specialist scans before conservation, which showed details hidden under corrosion and compacted soil.

What Was in the Ground

The sword is the 13th Viking sword recorded on the Isle of Man. About two-thirds of it survives. X-rays revealed silver inlay on the hilt and twisted silver wire beneath compacted material, and only two other Manx swords carry comparable decoration. The sword was probably broken as part of the burial rite, with some further damage after it went into the ground.

The group also holds three bronze brooches. Two are oval, with interlocking animal designs. The third was originally gilded and has spiral designs around a glass centre, and it is the first of its type recorded on the island. There are decorated lead weights, also a first for the island, and fragments of bronze balance scales used to weigh precious metals and coins. One weight carries a bronze fitting that may have come from a small chest or a religious object, in a style linked to Britain and Ireland, so it may be a reused piece. A bronze ladle, possibly tied to feasting or ceremonies, is another type not recorded on the island before. An axehead and more iron objects complete the group.

Why the Brooches Matter

Oval brooches were part of the dress of Scandinavian women in the Viking Age, and graves with a matching pair are usually read as female burials. Only one other pair has ever been found on the Isle of Man, by John Crowe, Daniel Crowe’s father, and Craig Evans. The new pair could be about 50 years older than that earlier pair. Fox says they “appear to represent our earliest known female Viking Age burial.”

That claim is hedged for good reason. The sword sits alongside women’s jewellery, so the group is believed to come from a double burial. The original site was also disturbed at some point in the past thousand years, and separate graves from the same period cannot be ruled out. The finds, in other words, still leave the exact circumstances uncertain.

Trade Across the Irish Sea

The weights and scales add a different layer. The lead weights provide evidence of trade across the Irish Sea, and the style of one weight fitting links back to Britain and Ireland. Fox called the assemblage “one of the most significant groups of Viking Age objects found on the Isle of Man.”

What Comes Next

A selection of the finds went on display in the Viking Gallery at the Manx Museum in Douglas from 11 November 2026. The press coverage says further research may reveal much more. The coverage names no dating method for the date of around AD 900, so treat it as an approximate figure.

Sources

• Manx National Heritage announcement of the find, 9 Nov 2026 (manxnationalheritage.im)
• HeritageDaily (14 Nov 2026): Viking Age discovery offers a glimpse into the Isle of Man’s past
• Manx Radio Gold (9 Nov 2026): Amazing Viking treasure offers new clues about early settlers
• Manx.News (9 Nov 2026): Viking treasure gives new clues to way of life

Image: Viking Age brooches from the find. Credit: Manx National Heritage.