BURNSALL will celebrate its rich Viking past at a ceremony later this month.

On Monday May 23, an event will be held to launch a book detailing Viking finds at St Wilfrid's Church and to celebrate the success of an exhibition which has been running there since September.

Project co-ordinator John Townend explained: "The Vikings in Burnsall exhibition explains how a few simple stones tell an amazing story about life in the village around 1,000 years ago.

"Since it opened in September the display has attracted many more visitors to both Burnsall and its church."

The Viking stones were found at the church and during the process of identifying them, other sculptures were found belonging to post-Conquest times.

Among them were an 11th century grave cover, a Norman window head and a holy water stoup, which provide evidence that Burnsall had a stone church in the 11th century.

A Heritage Lottery Funded project has ensured that all the items have been properly secured, displayed and interpreted.

The sculptures are described in a book, "Sculptures in Burnsall Church" which is to be launched at the ceremony.

The book's main contributor is Dr Elizabeth Coatsworth, of Manchester Metropolitan University, who is also writing a major national work which seeks to document every pre-conquest artefact in the country.

Burnsall Primary School has created an audio display of some key events in English history from the departure of the Romans in 410 AD to the coming of the Vikings and this display will be officially switched-on by pupils during the ceremony.