UK's oldest musical instrument keeps its title

An ancient horn has preserved its questionable reputation as Britain's oldest musical instrument.

Archaeologists yesterday displayed the Ripon charter horn and issued a ream of information on everything
except its age. It is thought that the horn was given to the North Yorkshire city in AD886 by Alfred the Great.

Ripon is proud of its past, and the hornblower still sounds four blasts every evening at 9pm - although not on the charter horn.

"It's much too delicate for that," said Richard Hall of York Archaeological Trust, who led the study. He said that the research revealed interesting information, despite steering away from
carbon dating. The archaeologists said that some of the early mediaeval craftwork suggests that the horn may have been a venerable object even then.