Bronze Age golden torc stolen in burglary at Ely Museum

A gold torc has been stolen from Ely Museum.
The gold torc which has been stolen from Ely Museum. Credit: ITV News Anglia

A museum's most prized artefact - a golden torc from the Bronze Age - has been stolen.

The 3,000 year-old object, along with a gold bracelet from the same period, was taken during a burglary at Ely Museum in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday morning.

The gold torc, which is a type of jewellery, was purchased by the museum in 2017 for £220,000 using a series of grants and donations from the public.

Police are now hunting two suspects on e-scooters who were seen nearby.

Elie Hughes, museum curator, said: “We are devastated by the loss to the museum and to the local heritage of the region.

"It is a huge blow after the incredible support from the community in acquiring the torc in 2017.

"As a culturally significant object, it cannot be replaced. Our priority now is working with the police to locate the stolen objects.”

The torc was found in a field near Ely in East Cambridgeshire by detectorists in 2015 and is one of the largest torcs ever found in Britain.

What do we know about the Cambridgeshire Torc?

  • It measures 126cm and weighs 730g of almost pure gold

  • It is one of the largest torcs ever found

  • It may have been worn as a belt

  • Gold is not naturally found in Ely, so it must have been bought or traded

  • It was buried 3,000 years ago - though experts don't yet know why

The museum was closed to the public on Wednesday while Cambridgeshire Police investigated.

Detectives are looking for two suspects on e-scooters who may have information about the burglary.

Det Insp Kiri Mazur said: “The theft of these items is despicable, and we are focused on identifying the offenders, tracing the items, and returning them to their rightful place.

"We are working closely with staff at Ely Museum to follow all lines of inquiry.

“I am very keen to hear from anyone who may be able to provide information or saw two people on e-scooters who were in the vicinity of the museum, car park and pedestrian walkways at the back of the museum, the council offices and the Grange Car Park, between midnight and 2am on Tuesday.”

A gold Bronze Age bracelet was also stolen from Ely Museum. Credit: Cambridgeshire County Council

Speaking to ITV News Anglia in 2017 when the torc went on display, Ms Hughes said: "It's made from gold, very high quality gold.

"It's over 720 grams, so that makes it one of the heaviest ever found.

"We don't have a huge number of items that were found in the Bronze Age and big specialised items like this are not found very often.

"Any find from the Bronze Age is always fascinating and something as stunning as this shows what skill people had at that time in our past."

Curator Elie Hughes spoke to ITV News Anglia about the torc in 2017

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