Man finds rare pilgrims' ampullae near Millom, Cumbria

Josh Carr, 28, found the artefact, which could date back as far as the 12th century, in a field near the town on Easter Sunday.

He had been combing the area for two hours with his metal detector and was about to head back when he found it. 

The pilgrims' ampullae Josh found (Image: Josh Carr)

He said he knew 'instantly' what it was. 

Ampullae are a type of souvenir that pilgrims collected from the end of the 12th century until the 15th century. This would prove that someone had done a pilgrimage. 

His friend had found the only other example of a pilgrim's ampullae in the area. 

The ampullae before the dirt was cleaned off it (Image: Josh Carr)

"There's only even been two found in Millom," he said.

The nearest match in his archaeology book that he could find to the example he found, which has a scallop-shell design and a flower motif, was one dug out on the other side of the country in south-west Wiltshire. 

Josh, a labourer for Dean and Ross Builders, said: "I left it on the side for the muck to dry out and then I'm going to lightly brush it and put it into my finds cabinet."

The ampullae in Josh's hand (Image: Josh Carr)

The ampullae were generally made of lead, including the example Josh found. This means that Josh's find did not need to be declared as treasure and could go straight into his cabinet. 

Josh has been metal detecting for five to six years. "It's the history," he said. "I love being outside and in the countryside. You can forget about the world." 

READ MORE: Bronze Age axe heads treasure found in Millom by Josh Carr

In Easter 2023 Josh found six bronze-age axe heads thought to be around 3,000 years old. Millom and District Local History Society, which Josh is in involved in, also revealed that he had found lead musket balls, which were probably from the Civil War battle that took place around Millom Castle, an 1872 Queen Victoria gothic florin, a 1571 Queen Elizabeth I hammered coin and a possible Roman stylus.