Metal detectors uncover Warwickshire's hidden past - The Stratford Observer

Metal detectors uncover Warwickshire's hidden past

Stratford Editorial 27th Dec, 2017   0

WARWICKSHIRE was for a long time seen as an archaeological backwater.

But volunteer treasure hunters have been proving much lies buried beneath the county’s soil.

Metal detector users in Warwickshire have been contributing since 1997 to the Portable Antiquities Scheme – a government funded project to encourage the voluntary recording of archaeological objects found in England and Wales.

And using the data combined with other formal archaeological methods, such as excavations, surveys, desk top studies, the traditional view of Warwickshire’s archaeology has been turned on its head.




Over 27,500 Warwickshire finds have been recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, including worked stone from the Palaeolithic onwards to metalwork and pottery from the Bronze Age through to recent times.

These give a glimpse into aspects of everyday life, including the economy, fashions, migration, trade and home life – all evidence of long forgotten communities and ways of life.


New book 50 Finds From Warwickshire Objects from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, by Angie Bolton and published byAmberley, includes everything from coins to combs.

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