Celtic Armlet Pays for Museum Repairs
An extract from the Northern Times of 5 Dec 1986 reporting that a Celtic Armlet of bronze, found at Achvrail, Rogart at the beginning of the century by archaeologists working for the Duke of Sutherland, which Inverness Museum had been keen to acquire, was sold by its owners The Sutherland Trust to pay for repairs and restoration of Dunrobin Castle Museum. Although the Royal Scottish Museum was given first option to buy the 600BC armlet, they received instead, on long-term loan from the Trust, the 'Helmsdale Hoard' treasure and a man's shirt of 2000 years ago dug out of a Sutherland bog. The intriguing tale of the Celtic Armlet emerged, in the week preceding the article, when it was disclosed that Inverness District Council had applied to the Board of Trade to prevent the Achvrail armlet being exported by a London dealer, who had acquired it at Christie's Auction Rooms in July for £70,000. (The armlet was subsequently purchased for £100,000 and displayed in Inverness Museum, see picture #12244)
Dimensions: Width 100mm depth 80mm