'I know what happened to King John's treasure after he left King's Lynn', archaeologist claims

He came to West Norfolk more than 800 years ago and the mystery of what happened to him here has endured ever since.

But, now, one man has come forward to claim he knows where the lost treasure of King John finally ended up.

The medieval monarch is remembered today through the statue of him in Lynn’s town centre, which was unveiled in 2016, and priceless artefacts such as the King John Cup.

He came to Lynn shortly before his death in 1216 and is reputed to have lost his treasures while crossing the Wash as he headed west towards the site of his death at Newark Castle.

Now, after lying hidden for so long, the unpopular king’s treasure may finally be discovered.

Raymond Kosschuk, 63, says that he is “100 per cent confident” that he has found the hoard on an undisclosed site in Sutton Bridge.

Using equipment he has designed, Raymond says the anomalies in the readings of magnetic fields from the site are ‘phenomenal’ and hopes to do further tests later this year.

Raymond, who is an and it fits the profile.”

King John was fighting to retain control of his kingdom when he left King’s Lynn to travel further north.

Raymond believes that King had set off from King’s Lynn without a guide and the baggage train was then caught up in a thick fog.

He said: “I have seen that heavy fog and in the 13th century they did not have a compass. If the sun was blocked out because of the fog, they would have meandered off. “

The man from Keighley in Yorkshire has been researching the project for 18 months and discovered the site while testing out his equipment last year.

He believes the king’s baggage train carrying the crown jewels encountered a small tributary heading inland from The Wash.

He said: “My biggest positive is that this artery is still visible today and there has been a lot of broken pottery found close to it. I have never seen anything like the field itself. It is phenomenal the amount of readings it is giving off there.”

Raymond plans to carry out some bore testing for the site later this year.

He said: “I expect to find items anywhere between 2ft and 11ft”

However, Raymond does not expect to find the full treasure as he believes that some of it had been stolen by a baron in the 13th century, but he has been in contact with Lincolnshire’s Finds Officer and is also hoping to work with local archaeology groups.