Posted on 12/19/2005 11:27:36 AM PST by blam
Devon treasure hunters strike a rich seam
12/17/2005 12:33:49 AM EST
WESTERN DAILY PRESS
This is the hoard of treasure dug up around Devon - and it's set to earn a windfall for the metal detector enthusiasts who found it.
The Viking gold ingot, silver gilt dress hook, silver huntsman's whistle and medieval gold and sapphire ring have all been officially declared treasure and have become the property of the Crown.
The finders will now be rewarded for handing over the items at 'market value', which has yet to be decided. The Viking cast gold ingot, found in Wembury, was said to be particularly rare.
The artefacts are certain to be sent to museums across the South West, including possibly Plymouth City Museum. All were found by metal detector enthusiasts, including three members of the South Hams Metal Detecting Club.
Plymouth coroner Nigel Meadows held a formal hearing to rule that the items were treasure trove and hand them over to the State.
He read statements from the four finders, the landowners and experts from the British Museum in London who gave an expert opinion on their worth.
Mr Meadows said after the hearings: "They're nice objects. They're not worth thousands and thousands, but they tell us a lot about our history."
In each case a special committee will decide on the market value of the items and the cash will be split 50-50 between the finders and the owners.
The items are: A cast gold Viking ingot found with a metal detector by Michael Holland four inches under the surface of a ploughed field in Wembury on March 27. The bar would have been stored and used to make another object, such as a piece of jewellery.
A medieval gold finger-ring set with a sapphire and dating to the 13th century, found about five inches beneath the surface of a field near a church in Dunterton, between Tavistock and Launceston. It was found on April 17 by Clive A'Lee, a member of the South Hams club.
A post-medieval silver huntsman's whistle found in a field at West Charleton, near Kingsbridge, by Michael Long, also from the club, in 2003. It was reported only this year.
A silver gilt dress hook, part of a fastening for clothing, found on a farm near Ugborough on December 28, 2004, by Graham Fisher, again from the club. The report from the British Museum said the item was difficult to date.
All the items were handed over to Danielle Wootton, who is the finds officer for Devon and works in Exeter for the British Museum.
Under the law, anyone who does not hand over an item they suspect to be valuable within 14 days can be prosecuted and be fined or even jailed.
Mr A'Lee, a 43-year-old gardener from St Budeaux, has been metal-detecting for 15 years, and the ring is his most valuable find.
He said: "The ring was very clean. It looked like it was put in the ground yesterday. I was gobsmacked. I was shaking when I dug it up."
Mr A'Lee was awarded two trophies by the club for the most important find of the year and has a framed photograph of the ring on his wall.
No doubt, the children of Stagger'Lee.
"You gotta wonder how many treasures have been melted down or sold off a scrap at a time."Kinda depressing to think some of it is melted down.I suspect a lot of artifacts end up in private collections.Of course the public won't see it,but at least they're not destroyed.
> I would sure be tempted to put that ring in my pocket
Family heirloom and all that. Goes back for generations.
I think the man that ruled that the artifacts are treasure yet not worth thousands and thousands is a liar. lol
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Gods |
Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. |
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