A boar mount which could have belonged to Richard III and a Viking Age hoard have been discovered by metal detectorists.

The hoard of Viking gold and silver metalwork was found on farmland near Bedale, near Northallerton.

It consists of an iron sword pommel inlaid with gold foil plaques, four gold hoops from the hilt of the sword, six small gold rivets, four silver collars and neck-rings, a silver arm-ring, a silver ring fragment, a silver brooch, and 29 silver ingots.

It is thought to be Viking bullion, obtained in trade or plundered from enemies. It was discovered by metal detectorists Stuart Campbell and Steve Caswell, who work in the animal feed business.

The copper-alloy mount was found on the Thames foreshore, near the Tower of London.

It shows the boar, chained, collared and wearing a crown, with a crescent above one of its legs.

Richard III, who had strong links with North Yorkshire, took the white boar as his sign, while badges in the form of the animal were ordered for the king’s cremation in 1485.

Tests are still taking place on a skeleton, found underneath a Leicester car park, to discover whether it is that of Richard.

Michael Lewis, of the British Museum, said: “Richard took the white boar as his sign. ‘Bore’ may have also been an anagram of Ebor, the Latin for York.”