Bamburgh Sword

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The Bamburgh Sword is an Anglo-Saxon artifact from the seventh century. It was uncovered by Brian Hope-Taylor, then disappeared until his death, when it was discovered in a suitcase in his attic. The sword was excavated in the first dig at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, in 1960.

The sword was almost certainly owned by a member of the royal family, probably a king. At about 80cm long, and constructed from six individual strands of carbon steel forged together, the sword would have taken several thousand hours to make, and would have been, in the words of Bamburgh Research Project director Graeme Young, "the anglo-saxon equivalent of a stealth jet". This technique, known as Pattern welding, is still used today. The Bamburgh sword is a six pattern-welded sword. In comparison, the sword from the Sutton Hoo burial was a five pattern-welded sword.

The sword is now on display in the Archaeology museum at Bamburgh Castle.