UK News - Divers retrieve archbishop's treasure

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Divers retrieve archbishop's treasure

DURHAM, England (UPI) -- Two brothers say they retrieved 32 gold and silver items from the bottom of a river in Northern England that belonged to a now-dead archbishop of Canterbury.

Trevor and Gary Bankhead, both scuba divers, said they made 300 dives over more than two years in the River Wear in Durham, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The items belonged to Archbishop Michael Ramsey, who died in 1988 at age 83, the Telegraph said. Ramsey spent several years in Durham during his retirement,

Many of the items the Bankheads discovered were presented to the archbishop in honor of special occasions. They include medals struck to commemorate the Vatican Council, given to Ramsey by Pope Paul VI, and a silver trowel honoring his laying of the cornerstone at a church in India.

Investigators say Ramsey may have dumped the items or they may have been abandoned by a burglar who discovered they could not be sold.

Trevor Bankhead leans toward the first theory, saying he and his brother found the items close to the bank, where they might have been thrown by an elderly man with limited mobility.

The value is estimated at up to 10,000 pounds ($16,400). The brothers and Durham Cathedral will split the money.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/24/2009

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