The Portable Antiquities Scheme

1. Hampshire: Byzantine Bucket centrepiece of 'Metal Detectives' exhibition
2. Lincolnshire: metal detected finds throw new light on Viking Lindsey
3. North West: unusual lead cloth seal unearthed
4. Suffolk: Archaeologists and detectorists work together to recover Roman coin hoard
5. Wales: rare Iron Age glass beads discovered
6. Salcombe Bay wreck treasure on display at British Museum
7. Yorkshire: archaeologists and detectorists discover more about Roman East Yorkshire
8. West Midlands: new Roman site found in Warwickshire
9. Somerset: late Saxon stirrup mount found

Hampshire: Byzantine Bucket centrepiece of 'Metal Detectives' exhibition

An exhibition of metal detected finds from Hampshire, including a Byzantine bucket as its centrepiece, has gone on display in Winchester. 'Metal Detectives' provides an opportunity for each of the detecting clubs in the area as well as independent detectorists to put their finds on display. It also highlights the benefits of involving metal detectorists in local archaeological excavations.

'Metal Detectives' exhibition in Hampshire

The Byzantine bucket, discovered by Steve Bolger, is one of only ten known examples. It was produced by hammering a single sheet of brass, with the surface tinned to imitate silver. The outside is decorated with a hunting scene with three bushy-haired male warriors armed with shields, swords, and in one case a discus, fighting a large leopard-like creature and a second possibly mythical beast. The bucket has a Greek inscription around the top which translates as 'May you enjoy this, Lady, for many happy years'. It is most likely that the piece was produced in the eastern Mediterranean in the 5th to 6th centuries AD.

The exhibition is being held at the Historic Resources Centre, 75 Hyde Street, Winchester, and runs until the 6th October 2000. Daily openings Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, admission free. Weekend openings will coincide with Finds Identification Days on Saturday 22nd July and Sunday 17th September. For more details contact Sally Worrell on 01962 848269.

Lincolnshire: metal detected finds throw new light on Viking Lindsey

Large quantities of metal detected finds are providing a new source of evidence for understanding Anglo-Saxon Lincolnshire, and may indicate the presence of large numbers of Viking settlers. Over 260 Viking and Anglo-Scandinavian objects have been recorded so far by Kevin Leahy and Marina Elwes of North Lincolnshire Museum. These objects in the main consist of women's dress fittings of poor workmanship and are often made of cheap materials showing an influx of Danish peasant families and not just a change in rulers.

Prior to the recording of metal detected finds on a systematic basis, evidence for Viking presence in Lincolnshire came mainly from non-archaeological sources. For example, many of the local place names are of Danish origin, (e.g. the 'thorpe' in 'Scunthorpe'). The Lincolnshire Domesday of AD1086 records many more Scandinavian than English personal names, and it also attests to exceptionally high numbers of 'sokemen' or free peasants. The Danish conquest of Lincolnshire is also historically attested. None of the literary evidence however suggests a substantial migration of people from Scandinavia. So for the first time, evidence for migration may be provided by the metal detected finds. Kevin Leahy says: 'There certainly seems to be evidence for a strong Scandinavian influence in Lincolnshire during the Anglo-Saxon period, but the question remains whether or not this represents a large scale population movement. By plotting the distribution of the metal detected finds we are slowly beginning to understand Viking and Anglo-Danish Lincolnshire.

North West: unusual lead cloth seal unearthed

A lead cloth seal recorded by Nick Herepath, North West liaison officer, provides unusual evidence for commercial links between South America and Lancashire in the early 18th century. The seal was spotted by Geoff Egan of the Museum of London Specialist Services, who recognised its importance whilst researching these fairly common objects, used in medieval and post-medieval times for the purposes of taxation and quality control. The seal was discovered by Mr Gerard Corness in West Lancashire whilst metal detecting.

The seal is a four-disc type which still has traces of gilding, probably to catch the customer's eye on the market stall. One of the main discs has a wheel-like device with a crown and a series of initials between the spokes - 'H A e Ca (?R)'. These letters appear to be abbreviated Spanish, perhaps 'Spanish American and (?)Royal Company'. The other disc has what is probably a version of the company's arms, those of England and Scotland joined together with a fish to the right at the top, all over a large globe. There are strong parallels with seals from London and various parts of America from Texas to Tierra del Fuego in the extreme South, usually seals of the South Seas and Fisheries Company (SS & FC). SS & FC was founded in 1711 and made famous by the 'South Sea Bubble' of 1720, an event which brought ruin to a number of English investors.

Geoff Egan says: 'This is a highly unusual find - it was found in not only the 'wrong' county but also on the 'wrong' continent. Although the connection with South America is not entirely clear, the seal may have been lost accidentally on the way from a local loom to a port from which the cloth it labelled was to be dispatched. Alternatively, and more dramatically, it may have come from a textile from a shipwrecked cargo that came ashore to be carried illicitly, the incriminating label saying which company it belonged to being discarded at some suitably remote spot'.

Suffolk: Archaeologists and detectorists work together to recover Roman coin hoard

In February of this year a metal-detector enthusiast, Stephen Andrews, discovered ten Roman early to mid 1st century silver denarii and a single Iron Age gold stater of Cunobelin in a field near Woodbridge in the south-east of Suffolk. As the find qualified as potential Treasure, they were immediately reported to the coroner. Considering the likelihood that these coins represented the remains of a plough-scattered hoard, the following month the county archaeological service, represented by senior archaeologists John Newman and Jude Plouviez in association with the Finds Liaison Officer, Gabor Thoma, carried out an archaeological investigation of the site.

Excavation of a Roman coin hoard, found by a metal detector user, by Suffolk County Council.

The excavation of the hoard is a good example of archaeologists and a chance finder working together to gather the maximum amount of information about a find and its context. By gradually machining the topsoil, scanning the layers by eye and with the detector, and plotting the position of potential artefacts, a further 27 silver denarii were recovered. The Roman coins run from the Republic through to the time of Claudius who invaded Britain in AD43.

Excavation of the hoard site indicated clearly that the hoard had been well dispersed by the plough: there was no clear concentration of coins and the sub-soil exhibited clear plough marks. The hoard adds to evidence provided over the last 15 years by members of the Ipswich and District Detector Club, whose efforts have identified a productive Iron Age and Roman period site 1km to the east. Also comparable is a hoard of 217 coins discovered in 1987 which in composition and date closely matches the recent hoard discovery.

Wales: rare Iron Age glass beads discovered

A complete Iron Age glass bead and the damaged fragment of another, both found near St. Brides Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, have been recorded under the Welsh Portable Antiquities Scheme. The beads are of the 'Oldbury' type, named after examples found at the Oldbury hillfort in Kent. The beads belong to only a handful of examples known from Wales, other single finds coming from Breiddin hillfort, Montgomeryshire, Gronant, Flintshire and Glanbidno-uchaf, Gwynedd. These two beads, high status objects in the pre-Roman and early Roman period, are the only recorded examples from South Wales.

The beads are relatively large and made from dark, almost opaque, blue glass, decorated with nine opaque yellow glass spirals. Although it is not certain whether the beads were made in Britain or on the Continent, study of comparable examples indicates that they were cast in a mould with the yellow spirals then trailed into place and worked into the beads' surfaces.

The reporting of the beads are just one example of the success of the pilot scheme in Wales, which is co-ordinated by Philip Macdonald (02920 573226). A separate Welsh newsletter, the second of which was published in April, is produced three or four times a year and is available on request from Philip.

Salcombe Bay wreck treasure on display at British Museum

A spectacular assemblage of more than 400 gold coins, broken jewellery, ingots, pottery and pewter acquired by the British Museum has gone on display. The finds were recovered by a group of divers from the South West Maritime Archaeological Group in Salcombe Bay in Devon, known as the 'Cannon Site' on account of the large number of cannon lying on the sea bed. The coins were struck during the 16th to 17th centuries AD by a Moroccan dynasty, the Sa'dian Sharifs, and the ship must have sunk sometime around AD1640, the date of the latest coin. Dr Venetia Porter, curator of Islamic coins at the British Museum, said: 'This unique find provides us with the first tangible evidence for a flourishing trade between Morocco and Europe from the late 16th century. The vessel may have been an English or Dutch merchant ship, or perhaps even a ship of the Barbary pirates'.

Some of the finds from the Salcombe Bay find which have gone on display at the British Museum.

Diving is an extremely popular hobby in this country, with around 80,000 sport divers registered, and an estimated 2 million dives taking place around the British coast every year. Like equivalent treasure finds made on land, which must be reported to the local coroner, all underwater finds must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck, who can be contacted on 01703 329474. The treasure is on display in the HBSC Money Gallery (Room 68) at the British Museum.

Yorkshire: archaeologists and detectorists discover more about Roman East Yorkshire

Detector finds in combination with geophysical survey results and aerial photography.

Detectorists Mr Laverack and Mr Moore have been working closely with Peter Halkon, Richard Middleton (University of Hull) and the Yorkshire Senior Finds Liaison Officer to learn more about the specific phases of Roman occupation in East Yorkshire. By recording precise findspots for every coin and artefact using a GPS (Global Positioning System) and sharing data, it has been possible to combine information from detector finds with geophysical survey and aerial photography with remarkable results.

1. Newsletter 3 - Summer 2001
2. Newsletter 1