Boy, 8, unearths remarkable Bronze Age spearhead during Lake District day out

He said: "I was digging and having fun, and I saw what looked like a ring, so I pulled it out, and it just kept on going."

The artefact, which dates to the Bronze Age, will be on display at the Armitt Museum in Ambleside throughout 2027.

The object was originally thought to be Roman, but that assessment proved incorrect.

Theodore Muscillo, finds liaison officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, determined that basal loops at the base of the weapon strongly indicated Bronze Age provenance.

These loops fastened the head to a wooden shaft, creating a spear capable of bringing down prey such as deer, wild boar and wolves.

Marnie Calvert, historic environment assistant at the Lake District National Park Authority, said the spearhead had probably been deposited as a votive offering, an item placed at a sacred site for religious purposes.

A young boy unearthed an ancient spearhead during a family outing in the Lake District

LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

George said: "I didn't know it was a spearhead, so when I found out it was very fun."

George took it upon himself to safeguard the artefact after pulling it from the ground, carefully wrapping it in bubble wrap and storing it in a bag his grandmother had made.

He was eight years old when he made the discovery.

The Lake District National Park Authority has since recorded the spearhead on its Historic Environment Record.

The object was originally thought to be Roman, but that assessment proved incorrect

LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

The step supports ongoing and future research into the region's prehistoric past.

The find offers a tangible link to the ancient communities that once lived in the area around Windermere.

Its year-long display at the Armitt will give visitors the chance to see it up close.