There have been two events recently that have uncovered some fabulous finds. This led to NCMD Hoard Fund being used to help local archaeologists recover the items.
Ninth Region Event
The first was the Ninth Region event, where someone uncovered a pot of roman coins. Our hoard hotline was called and we passed the details to the PAS via the emergency Whatsapp group. Later that evening a second pot was found, so we updated the PAS accordingly.
The Wiltshire County Archi put a team together to carry out the excavation and block lift the following morning. Once the excavation started a third pot was uncovered so overall, a great result. £500 from the the NCMD Hoard Fund will be used to carry out geophysics on the site.
UK History Finders Event
The second find was at the UK History Finders event that we attended last weekend.
There was a very deep signal, and when the finder reached the metal, it was covered by a large cut stone. This could potentially have been a cap stone covering a Roman child’s lead coffin, it could have been a hoard of some kind, or it could have been nothing.
The finder, the group admins and the organiser Tom Pisarek, all did exactly the right things. The admins advised the finder to stop digging, the area was then taped off and Tom notified us. We in turn contacted the PAS via the internal hotline. An archaeologist was sent to the site and arrived the same day, which is an exceptional service from Somerset County Archaeology team.
It turns out that on this occasion, it was part of a post-medieval water management system linked to the natural spring in that field. It was probably from the 1600’s to 1700’s, so still had age to it. There was an iron frame, surrounded by natural stones, with a large slab covering it. The chisel marks of the stonemason are still visible around the edges.
A huge ‘well done’ to everyone concerned in both cases, textbook examples of how it should be done.
For more information on what to do if you find a hoard, head over to our Hoards & Major Finds page where you will find help and guidance.
