Four medieval gold angels found in Hadleigh and a hoard of silver coins discovered on land behind the Lindsey Rose, have been declared as treasure by Suffolk Coroner's Court.

A trio of treasure hunters using metal detectors discovered what has been described as the second-largest hoard of its kind, valued at £100,000 during a search behind the Lindsey pub in July last year.

Experts believe the hoard was hidden in a pot and buried during the Civil War as Parliamentary backing Suffolk date back the start of King Edward VI's reign, 1537, to the end of Charles I's reign in 1625.

Given what happened to Charles and Royalists in general by Oliver Cromwell's army, it is ironic the find is now the property of the Crown.

Friends Luke Mahoney, Daniel Hunt and Matt Brown guarded the coins for three nights and claimed they actually discovered 1,080 coins, in a field owned by Lindsey Rose bosses Charlie and James Buckle.

However, Suffolk Coroner Nigel Parsley could only rule on the 1,069 declared and confirmed they are to be classified as treasure, and belong to the Crown.

The number of coins found was disputed at court on Friday, with the trio from Joan Allen Metal Detectors believing some had gone missing, and Suffolk police have been called in to investigate.

The hoard is currently with the British Museum, but all museums will have the opportunity to bid for the coins and the metal decors will be entitled to a finders fee.

No further details of the four medieval gold coins have yet been revealed but along with other items found in various parts of Suffolk, were declared as treasure.