A metal detectorist has learned he has hit a £2m jackpot after uncovering Britain's biggest ever Viking treasure.
Derek McLennan unearthed the 10th-century collection of rare Viking artefacts in a field in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland's south-west in 2014.
The haul of about 100 items included silver bracelets and brooches, a gold ring, an enamelled Christian cross and a bird-shaped gold pin.
Mr McLennan passed on the treasure to the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR), which rules on found goods and property without an owner.
An early medieval cross, part of a hoard of Viking treasure which has been unearthed (Derek McLennan/PA Archive/PA Images).
Director of National Museums Scotland, Dr Gordon Rintoul, said he was “delighted” the treasure had been allocated to the museums.
An archaeologist preparing the top level for removal of the hoard of Viking treasure found by Derek McLennan (Derek McLennan/PA Archive/PA Images). »