Magnet fisherman left ‘gobsmacked’ after plucking 3ft 400-year-old Civil War sword from murky depths of the River Stour

A magnet fisherman was left “stunned” after finding a 400-year-old sword in the depths of a muddy river.

Stephen Hill pulled the 3ft-long blade from the River Stour in Dorset while searching the water for relics.

He believes the completely intact sword, measuring 1 meter from pommel to tip, may date back to the 17th century Civil War and could possibly have belonged to a cavalryman.

The 29-year-old has registered the item with his local Lost and Found Liaison Officer and it will be properly examined to determine its importance and value.

At the time he made this discovery, Hill was fishing with a magnet on the banks of the River Stour at Sturminster Newton.

Pictured is Stephen Hill admiring a 400-year-old sword he found in the River Stour.

The completely intact relic, measuring 1 meter from pommel to tip, may date back to the Civil War.

He said: “I knew I had something on the magnet, at first I thought it was a piece of rebar or scaffolding, which is a fairly common find.

“Then I saw the crosspiece and I was a little stunned, I knew it was something special.”

Mr Hill, from Dorchester, has been magnet fishing for about five years and is passionate about history.

He said: “I estimate that this sword is between four hundred and six hundred years old, and may be some sort of cavalry sword.

“Several amateur historians have seen it and said it has a single cutting edge and what may have been a basket handle that has since rusted from time in the water.

“This indicates that it may have belonged to the Civil War cavalry.

“I haven’t tried to peel it because it’s very delicate, but once it does it could reveal more information about the date and maybe even help link it to a battle or person.

He thought it was scaffolding, but realized it was a sword when he noticed the crossbar.

The sword was found by Mr Hill while he was fishing with a magnet in a river in Dorset.

“I have contacted the Lost and Found Liaison Officer and will find out more when they respond.”

“This is the reason I started magnet fishing, for the once-in-a-lifetime discoveries that were made – it was exciting.”

On his own YouTube channel, Mr Hill documents all his finds and has previously discovered several explosives.

Among his finds are World War I grenades with the pin still inserted and an anti-tank shell that a bomb squad was called in to detonate the find earlier this year.

He regularly fishes using a powerful magnet, which usually allows him to collect bottles, glass and trash from the river.

But he hopes the sword will go to Dorset Museum once experts have analyzed it.