Newark: Sutton Bridge site holds King John’s treasure, treasure hunter says

The man leading the search for King John’s treasure says he is 100% sure he has found the treasure.

Raymond Koschuk was testing at an unknown site in Sutton Bridge last week and says his equipment is gathering incontrovertible evidence of the treasure.

King John lost the treasure to Wash during an ill-fated crossing on 12 October 1216 – just days before the unpopular monarch died at Newark Castle.

Using equipment he developed to detect anomalies in magnetic field readings, Raymond got strong signals for valuable items, as well as many handmade nails and other artefacts during a quick check with a metal detector.

Now Raymond and the farmer hope to start digging up their finds in the coming weeks.

Raymond said: “I’m 100% sure that’s it. It’s the real thing”.

Raymond has been researching the project for over a year and discovered the place while testing his equipment last year.

He believes King John set off from King’s Lynn without a guide and the luggage train, which was carrying 2,000 people and more than a mile long, was trapped by thick fog.

Raymond says his equipment picks up the magnetic fields emitted by objects such as gold and metal horseshoes.

He said: “When I got access, I isolated an area of valuable targets and it gave positive results for elements of gold, silver, emeralds, sapphires and rubies.

“The biggest attraction of this area that I have discovered is the accumulation of silver. It tells me that there are between 60 and 120 pounds of silver, but there could have been more. I believe it was a money box carried by King John”.

Raymond also tested positive for gold and hopes to find the 13th century Royal Regalia, which was lost when the treasure disappeared.

He said: “There’s something there, otherwise I wouldn’t have the high scores or the reactions I’m getting.”

Raymond also found indications for a large number of horseshoes in sets of four.

He said: “These horseshoes are absolutely conclusive evidence – there is no doubt about that.”

Raymond recently searched a small area with a metal detector and was able to find several scuff marks, nails, a hinge and even a metal buckle.

He said: “The field is dotted with finds like this.