A BRONZE shield stolen from a monument commemorating the Battle of the Standard has been returned to its home town.

The shield was taken from the monument, which stands by the A167 just outside Northallerton, four years ago.

Fearing it had been sold for scrap, local councillors replaced it with a slate version.

But Ian Pollitt, of Racecourse Lane, Northallerton, spotted the shield for sale on the Internet earlier this year.

Mr Pollitt collects pieces of the town's history and does a weekly search of Internet sites for historical items being offered for sale.

"It was listed under a 'buy now' item and with its distinctive description I remembered it being stolen a few years ago," he said.

"I was amazed it was still in one piece, because I thought it had been stolen for scrap, even though it has next to no scrap value.

"As soon as I realised what it was, I contacted Neil Campling, North Yorkshire County Council's archaeologist, and he advised me about recovering the shield.

"It should never have been stolen in the first place and I'm pleased it is now back in Northallerton."

The company that was offering the shield for sale, UK Architectural Antiques, donated it to Northallerton as soon as it realised it had been stolen.

The county council has paid for the shield to be cleaned and repaired.

Yesterday, the artefact was formally handed over to the town council. The authority will hang it in the Bill Wake Room of the town hall.

The Battle of the Standard took place in 1138 between King David I of Scotland and Archbishop Thurstan of York. About 10,000 Scottish and English soldiers died in the battle.

The monument, which included the bronze shield, was erected in 1913 to mark the 775th anniversary of the battle.