[1] Its origins and medieval provenance are unknown until it was found fully intact by turf cutters c. 1831 near Prosperous, County Kildare.

It did not receive attention from antiquarians until 1851,[2][3] but is today identified as one of the earliest fully extant and thus perhaps the most historically important European crozier.

[6] It contains traces of inscriptions, and although the words are largely worn, credible interpretations were made in the 2010s that give a range for its origin and burial in the bog, where it was presumably deposited to hide from either local, Viking or English attackers.

[8] The crozier is generally dated to, at latest, 1,000 AD based on the style of its interlace designs, which resemble pieces established as from 10th-century Dublin as well as contemporary stone sculptures from the Isle of Man.

[11][12] It lacks the adornment of precious metals found in other contemporary Insular art metalwork objects, while some of the craftsmanship has been described as relatively basic, indicating that it originated from a moderately sized site, given its style probably from a workshop in the Dublin region.