AfferGorritt 868 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hi, Sorry! That title was a marketing ploy, just to get your attention – though treasure, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder! Does anyone out there own a farm, smallholding or a bit a waste ground? Does anyone have any farmer friends who they would put a good word in for me? I have been dabbling with metal detecting for a couple of years now, usually just taking a detector on holiday so me and the grandkids could go “treasure hunting” on the beach. Since retiring I decided to go into it “properly”, and since finding land to detect on is very difficult I joined a club. The plus side of this is that clubs usually have permission to detect on various farms where they have been going for years. The downside is that they have been going for years! Whilst I still find the odd artefact or coin the sites have really been “done to death”. I’m looking for land (any land!) in Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire where I can pursue my hobby. I’m a very clean old man! I tidy up after me and fill in any holes I make (I only make small ones!). I have civil liability insurance in case I should dig up a water main with my garden trowel. I’m a member of the National Council for Metal Detecting, and the Thoroton Society. I’ve detected on many farms in East Notts/West Lincs, but I would dearly love a bit of land closer to home that was JUST MINE to detect on!!! It’s a real buzz when you unearth something that’s been lost for hundreds of years, even if, as is usual, the object has no material value at all. It’s just that … “the last person to touch this was alive when Sir Francis Drake was sailing against the Armada”… feeling! My best finds so far have been a Roman brooch from 1 – 2AD, a Philip & Mary groat from the 1500’s and an Elizabeth I half-groat from the same period. Can anybody help an old man be very happy?! Roman brooch Philip & Mary Silver Groat (Obverse) Elizabeth I Silver Half Groat (Reverse) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fch782c 144 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hi afferGorritt I too enjoy days out with my C-Scope CS660 but as you may have descovered finding land where we are welcome are getting few and far between. We have found the best way is to approach famers/landowners and arrive at a share agreement. I have tried this myself only once and have been told by others this is the best option.Please find below link to site detailing landowners contract agreement http://www.metaldetectingforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1068&f=11 I am not sure what the situation is now but I recall some years ago my uncle reaching an agreement with Colonel Frank Seely's estate in Calverton which is very close to a kown Roman encampment situated somewhere close to Georges Hill so this may be a good starting point Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 I too am the proud owner of a metal detector, however I'm not the proud owner of much time. In the past, I have dug up loads of scrap metal from derelict land near Lenton (mostly the innards of old acid batteries). Also a 30 foot long metal keel on Raparee beach at Ifracombe. My best finds were actually digging my garden when we lived in Nottingham-a school medal or two from way back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Car parks in Leicester are the 'in place' at the moment. Or you can get an underwater detector and try under any bridge...Mothers have been chucking guns and knives off them for yonks. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted November 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Yes, it still appears that metal detectorists are still seen in a bad light. I think they imagine we dig huge pits in which they'll lose their tractors. I find it quite ironic that I'm out there with, at most, my little border spade which is sometimes seen as pure vandalism, and archaeoligsts come along and take the top 6" off with a bulldozer! I read recently that treasure finds are up again on previous years and that metal detectorists were responsible for 92% of the finds! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 A TV program running at the moment Britain's Secret Treasures seems to be a good advert for metal detecting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,642 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Not wanting to appear picky but archaeologists don't do the excavating and bulldozers are not used, we have the archis on our sites at least twice a year and we use our own excavators which take off the top soils first to expose any archaeology that may be there, after that the overburden is taken off in very shallow slivers until the archaeology no longer show Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted November 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Eyup Rog, Do you search through the topsoil that the excavators take off? I've found that most of the interesting stuff I've found is less than 6" deep. If your archaeologist friends would like help searching the spoil heaps .... I volunteer!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
banjo48 928 Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 I think metal detector enthusiasts get a bad name for the mess they leave behind (not saying all of them) we often go into old mining areas that look like world war 2, craters everywhere or millions of small mole hills. My SIL was into it for a while and I spent more time filling in his holes than doing any detecting. Think its always the ones that dont do the right thing that spoil it for the good guys. Its like the rubbish droppers ! (a pet hate of mine) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dgbrit 258 Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Loads of arrow heads around here but they are not metal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fch782c 144 Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 A few rules/common sense should be observed if you intend taking up metal detecting 1, DO NOT dig Anywhere on Private Land unless you have gained express permission from the land owner first, if the farmer specifies boundaries you must work within and areas which are out of bounds you MUST respect this. At first if you invest a little time asking land owners permission you will often find they show an interest and often suggest you should contact freinds of thiers who may also take an interest, but you must be prepared for dissapointment if the land owner says no his word is final and if you carry on regardless or fail to get permission in the first place you could find yourself in court, so be careful 2. DO NOT dig on council or government land without express written permission, this includes recreation fields, playgrounds and parklands etc etc 3. There are quite a number of metal detecting clubs who do most of the hard work for you once you've joined these clubs you will find that they liase with farmers/landowners and for an entry fee of a few pounds you join a group of other enthusiasts for a days or weekends metal detecting bearing in mind if the landowner specifies boundaries to work within then these must be adhered to. You must also bare in mind that this I private land a and so as not to spoil it for others in the future the usual littering rules apply a and any excavated land must be returned to its previous state wherever possible, you must also be prepared to split proceeds of and substantial finds with the landowner http://www.ncmd.co.uk/ http://www.ashfield-mdclub.co.uk/ http://www.metal-detectors-searcher.co.uk/Metal-Detecting-in-Nottinghamshire.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Thoroughly agree. I'm a member of the Ashfield club, and through them a member of the National Council for Metal Detecting. As Banjo48 says, most people think we leave huge holes and loads of mess - if I did I'd be out of the club immediately. Last week I was detecting on pasture land in Derbyshire, carefully cutting and lifting a flap of turf, extracting the targets (dozens of milk carton caps!!!), refilling the hole and carefully replacing the flap. Honestly - you couldn't tell where I'd been unless you got down on your hands and knees! Unfortunately we all get tarred with the same brush and people who love history, take the time and accept the responsibility of joining a club or the NCMD (thereby agreeing to their strict code of conduct) are generally given no credit for their responsible attitude. As I mentioned earlier, 92% of reported treasure finds in 2011 were made by metal detectorists as opposed to 4% made by archaeologists (4% unconfirmed). I'm not knocking archaeologists here - I think the significance of their finds is in the excavation and mapping of historical sites - the Richard III excavation being a prime example, rather than the recovery of metal objects in the topsoil. We have a Finds Liason Officer who visits the club and any significant finds are reported to her and recorded on the Portable Antiquities database. I'm quite proud of the fact that as a club we are recovering artefacts that would otherwide remain undiscovered and would be eventually destroyed by the action of modern agri-chemicals. I'm amazed by the depth of knowledge my fellow members have, their willingness to share it, and by their passion for recovering history. If anyone's interested .... https://www.gov.uk/government/news/treasure-finds-at-all-time-high Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,642 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 AfferGorritt, the archis on site sift through everything, the soils are then stored in soil bunds around the site, the overburden is then scraped over using an excavator, if anything shows, the machine is moved away and the archis move in with their little trowels and brushes, no stone unturned to coin a phrase, Archis are a very expensive and if they find anything as well as charging the earth (literally ) they can stop the job putting us all at risk of losing our jobs or being put on short time, but planning regulations say we must have them before we start a new site or new phase of workings Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Not much to find around my place, the odd arrow head from Native Americans who prowled the area a few centuries back...Any coins would be from the original settlers, if they were lucky enough to have spare change to carry around. May also be some civil war brass cartridges if I'm lucky, there was some conflict around here between the "Blues and the Greys". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
geld25 0 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 You have stolen my idea! I often think about the amount of history that is buried beneath our feet. There are thousands of years of people who have walked on the same ground that we now walk on. Look at the incredible artifacts you have found. I have not been able to afford a good detector. I have a cheap version that I found on Amazon, but it isn't anything to brag about. I haven't found much more than a few coins, a ring, necklace, and a few little metal cars. I would like to invest in a better metal detector and see what I could find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 I spoke to an old boy the other week who cycles round Notts in school term time and uses his detector in parks and recreation grounds where there is a lot of bark chippings to protect the little dears when they are on climbing frames etc. He only had a small trowel to move the bark, and reckons some weeks he finds up to £150.00. Amazing. Tax free and good exercise, cant fault it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Sadly he's breaking the law. Myself I have no problems with what he's doing. He's just moving a bit of surface covering - be it soil or bark - retrieving the item and filling in the scrape. Doing no harm to anyone. If he were to write to the council to regularise what he's doing he would be told, quite tersely that metal detecting is NOT PERMITTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!!!!! and would be told that if caught he would be prosecuted under local bye laws. Councils are notoriously bloody minded about detecting. You can have 22 lads hacking the turf around on a Sunday morning or folks riding horses but NO DETECTING. Councils have been known to answer queries regarding detecting with "you can certainly detect on our park, but you can't dig at all". Did I say bloody minded?? I've written loads of letters and emails to councils and when they can be bothered to reply they can be quite patronising and obnoxious. I've yet to meet a sympathetic councillor. Disillusioned? Moi?!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AfferGorritt 868 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Oh, and good luck Geld25. You can have a £2,000 Minelab CTX3030, but unless you walk over it you won't find it. Just persevere. Since finding those 2 coins I've had bl**dy awful luck - but it will come (hopefully). Join a club. Research your sites. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 I am not surprised at the council attitudes. I think qualifications for employment - obnoxious B.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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