An ancient Bronze Age ring, declared officially as “treasure”, has found a new home in Carlisle’s flagship museum.

The ring, the first of its kind to be found in Cumbria, is as much as 3,300 years old.

Known as a pennannular ring - meaning a ring with a small part of of its circumference missing - the find was discovered at the site of an ancient Roman fort in Wigton.

According to the law - specifically the Treasure Act 1996 - anything 300 years or older and made of silver or gold may be considered officially treasure, and must go through an inquest to determine it as such.

Declared legally as treasure in October 2018, the artefact has been bought by Tullie House Museum in Carlisle, and now forms part of their prehistory gallery called Origins.

Curatorial manager for the museum Gabrielle Heffernan said: “It’s wonderful to be able to acquire a local find such as this and have it on display in our award-winning prehistory gallery.

“Carlisle has such a rich history going back thousands of years, and this ring is just one example of the fascinating cultures of the people who lived here.”

The find was discovered by local metal detecting enthusiasts Graham Ingledow and Shaun Monico, who were delighted to have found such a valuable artefact.

Graham said: “Some people detect for 40 years and they will never find treasure or a haul.”

It is not understood exactly what the ring was used for.

Some historians think it and other rings of its kind were jewellery, perhaps worn in the hair or in the nose or ears.

Others however think they may have been a unit of exchange, like a type of coin, or simply an object to display the owner’s high status in society.

The ring is thought to have been made at some point in the Bronze Age, between 1,300 BC and 800 BC.

This was centuries before the Romans first set foot on British soil - Julius Caesar led the first expedition to Britain in 55 BC.

Graham and Shaun’s find was the first pennannular ring to have been found in Cumbria, and only the second to have been found in the whole north west of England.

Tullie House holds a monthly “finds day” on the last Friday of each month, in which enthusiasts who may have uncovered treasure can be advised on the legal process surrounding treasure.

Anyone who discovers treasure is legally required to report their find to a coroner within 14 days.

The coroner will then kickstart the process of determining whether or not the artefact is officially treasure, as per the law surrounding treasure.