Lost & Found Metal Detectorists

Welcome, this page is for landowners who are considering allowing us to detect on their land. This page should answer most of your questions and contains additional information for you after our chat/email. This is intended as a resource for you so that you can have more information to hand when making a decision about granting us permission to detect on your land. If there is anything you want to ask then please give me a call and I will add your questions to this page for other people to benefit from.

What do you the detectorist need from me to detect on my land?

We need to know where the land is which means we need a post code and a map showing us your property, hopefully with your field names on it. This allows us to use your field names rather than trying to describe where they are. Knowing where the land is located is the first step of checking if we are legally allowed to use our detectors there. This starts our research phase.

What research do you do before digging?

1. We must check if your property has any Scheduled Monuments, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or falls within a MOD firing range as these areas can not be detected upon even with the landowners permission. If your farm contains any of the above we will make sure that we leave a sensible buffer area around the restricted location so as to make sure we stay within the law.
2. I then research the old maps for the area and see what interesting locations have been removed form their more modern versions. This can include old foot paths or track ways, lime kilns, historic battle sites, roman roads etc.
3. Next I look at the local historic record for the area and see what buildings and locations of historic importance are located near to or on the property, this includes listed buildings and other historically important locations.
4. Then I check the British Museums Portable Antiquities scheme for objects previously found within the local grid square. This is also where we will log all finds of historical importance so as to make sure that as much historical information is preserved. This is achieved by periodically visiting the Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for the county and getting them to review our finds.
5. Next I check the publicly available LIDAR for the area and see what ground anomalies are present on your land, this may include old paths, ditches, water courses, trenches, medieval strip fields, fortifications, old field entrances etc.
6. Lastly I check to see if there are any crop marks in the historic satellite images from particularly dry years. During very dry years old earth works or trenches tend to hold moisture differently than undisturbed ground causing the plant coverage to display different amounts of parching. Checking old satellite images going back decades can give clues to older settlements or disturbed earth on your property.

How much of your research do you share with the Landowner?

All this information is added to your secure webpage so that you can follow links to historic maps and see the LIDAR for yourself.

How deep do you dig?

Usually we only get signals from the top 6-12 inches which means we are well withing the working depth of the plough soil. In exceptional conditions where the ground is wet we may get signals down to 14 inches which is still withing the 18 inch depth for deep ploughing. Below that depth objects are in stratified deposits and we leave them for the archaeologists to deal with. If we get a cluster of objects in a small area then it could be a sign for something of archaeological importance and that would be something to discuss with the FLO.

How much of a mess are you going to create?

Hopefully none. We will refill all holes so that it is difficult to see where we have been previously. All digs will be refilled with the pasture/grass on top and then stamped down around the edges. There may be a scattering of dirt left after we fill the hole but we do our best to leave the area in the same condition we found it in. For ploughed fields we refill the holes so they are level with the surrounding ground surface.

What have you found previously?

Mostly rubbish including, pieces of lead, aluminium, tin cans, tin foil, ring pulls, bits of fence, stuff that fell off the tractor, chain, bolts and screws, shotty ends, .22/.303 cartridges or bullets, air pistol pellets and unidentifiable pieces of metal. This makes up over 90% of the finds, all of which we take away so as not to find it next time we are there and to clean up your fields.

The interesting things we have found include, coins from modern day going back (currently) to Elizabeth the 1st, musket balls and pistol shot from the 16th to the 18th Century. Buttons and buckles from 15th Century onwards. Harness and tack from the 11th century onwards. Flint arrow head from 4000 BC, I was digging up a tin can when I spotted it.

What would you like to find?

Anything that tells a story, helps us to understand our history better and give us a link to the past. Objects currently on my bucket list of items I would like to find include

• Roman artefacts (coins, broaches etc)
• Anglo-Saxon coins and artefacts (some of the most beautiful things you will find)
• Hammered coins

What insurance do the detectorists have?

As we are members of the National Council of Metal Detectorists (NCMD) we are covered by their insurance up to £10 million once we have a signed agreement giving us permission to dig on your property.

Signed agreement, what's in that?

Basically it is a signed contract that says we can dig on your property when and where you say we can. For us it tells us how to dig, how we record finds and who we have to tell what we found. It also requires us to follow a code of conduct, all sensible stuff like, don't trespass, close gates after you, fill in any holes you dig, don't damage crops, confirm before arriving that we will be on site and that its convenient for the landowner/farmer for us to be there etc. It also lists who you are letting dig on your land and how we will split whatever is found that is valuable.

Who would the detectorists need to notify?

If we find a hoard (two or more coins made of gold or silver in a hole) then its defined as a hoard and we need to stop digging until we have spoken to the FLO as they may want to get it excavated by archaeologists so as to preserve as much historical data as possible. If we find human remains then we need to tell the police and the same goes for if we find unexploded bombs or munitions.

Who would be listed on the agreement?

Myself, my wife and two of our friends. In most cases it would only be two of us on site at any time but this would be specified when i check if it is convenient for us to come on site at a set date and time.

How do we split what is valuable?

Basically it is split 50:50 between the landowner and Lost & Found Detectorists. Even things that are archeologically interesting are frequently not valuable. You can buy 5 Roman coins for under £100. However its always nice to have a collection of things that have been found on your property so if there were things you were interested in having we could return them once they were cleaned and seen by the FLO.

What if the detectorists do find something really valuable?

If we find "treasure" then it needs to be worked out who owns it. It will go before a coroner and they will decide who owns it, if it was lost or hidden with the intention of recovering it at a later date. Depending on these answers will effect what happens to it. It will be returned to the owner, or to the detectorist or it may be acquired by a local museum if it's historically important. If that happens then it will be independently valued and the museum will then try to buy the find. We then split that price as defined in the agreement. If the item is returned then we can get it valued, and if either of us want to keep the object they can pay the other party half of its valued worth or we can sell it and split whatever we make from the sale.

How do the detectorists tell the landowner that they plan to come on site?

That depends on what works for the landowner, usually its a text a day or two before saying where we are intending to go, at what time and who will be there. This lets us check that there aren't animals in the field or that there aren't crops where we want to go. If the area we have picked isn't available then we would ask you the landowner where would be convenient for us to detect?

How does the landowner see what you have found?

We can show you at the end of the day or create a webpage for your property that you have private access to. If we find anything interesting you will be the first to know but showing you a bucket of muddy scrap may not be worth disturbing your evening. The webpage will include photos of all the things we find once they have been cleaned and we will update it once the FLO has seen and identified the finds.

How often and how long would you be on my property?

That's up to you, but given free rein, depending on the weather, once or twice per month for up to 8 hours. Usually on a weekend but that can vary depending upon scheduling. This obviously would depend on what works for the Landowner.

Do I need to be there while you are detecting?

No, once you have told us which field we can use you can just let us get on with it. However you are more than welcome to watch a couple of people walking backwards and forwards looking puzzled as we try and work out at what the beeps and clicks mean and if it's worth digging.

Interested in learning more?

If you've looked through my site and have any questions, I'd be glad to help you. You can contact me on my mobile on 07801 103635 or send me an E-mail and I will get back to you as soon as I can.