Treasure Act Annual Report 2015 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 12 to the Treasure Act 1996 November 2017 1 ii Treasure Act Annual Report 2015 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 12 to the Treasure Act 1996 November 2017 1 © Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2017 Edited by J Parol & I Richardson Published by Portable Antiquities and Treasure, Learning and National Partnerships, British Museum 2 Contents Minister’s foreword 5 Introduction 6 Treasure cases 2015 7 Table of Treasure cases 2015 17 Update on 2014 Treasure cases 555 3 4 Minister’s foreword I am pleased to introduce the Treasure Act Annual Report 2015, which provides a report on the operation of the Treasure Act 1996 for that year. The Treasure Act is an enduring success, ensuring that museums are able to acquire the most important archaeological discoveries for the benefit of all. 2015 saw 1,005 potential Treasure finds reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of these discoveries, 341 have been (or are to be) acquired by public collections. Many museum acquisitions have been made possible only through the kind assistance of funding bodies, particularly the Art Fund, Headley Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund and the V&A Purchase Grant Fund. I am grateful to these organisations for their recognition of the importance of archaeological finds and their support of museums’ efforts to acquire them. I also applaud the large number of interested parties waiving their right to a reward for Treasure cases, with individuals foregoing their share in 78 cases this year. These donations have allowed museums to acquire finds that they may not have otherwise been able to, thereby allowing the public to enjoy and experts to study them. There are many bodies and people who deserve praise for the ongoing success of the Treasure Act, in particular the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and its local network of 40 Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) across England and Wales, to whom almost all finds of Treasure are reported. The Scheme is fundamental to the operation of the Act, and on behalf of the Government I would like to thank the British Museum, its local partners, and Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales for their commitment to the success of the PAS. The role of the FLOs is vital in disseminating information about the Act and archaeological best practice to finders of Treasure and landowners. They are indispensable in facilitating the administration of Treasure cases and providing the logistical means for the Act to function. Together with curators, scientists and conservators at the national museums of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, they also provide expert reports on Treasure finds for Coroners, who, along with their staff, are owed thanks for their diligence in holding Treasure inquests. The British Museum, which manages the PAS in England, also supports coroners in that country and serves as the secretariat for the Treasure Valuation Committee and I am grateful for their continued excellent work. In order to ensure the long-term success of the Act, and that it reflects current practice and works as efficiently as possible, the Government is continuing a process to conduct a Review of the Treasure Act Code of Practice. This will also consider the definition of Treasure, and whether that should be amended. Finally I would like to acknowledge the steadfast contribution of the Treasure Valuation Committee, chaired by Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn. I am grateful for the services of all of the Committee members, who voluntarily provide their time and expertise. John Glen Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage, and Tourism November 2017 5 Introduction Under the Treasure Act 1996, finders have a legal obligation to report all finds of potential Treasure. For a summary see finds.org.uk/treasure or the leaflet Advice for Finders of Archaeological Objects, Including Treasure. The Act allows a national or local museum to acquire Treasure finds for public benefit. If this happens, a reward is paid, which is (normally) shared equally between the finder and landowner, though the interested parties may wish to waive their rights to a reward, enabling museums to acquire such finds at no or reduced cost. Rewards are fixed at the full market value of the find, determined by the Secretary of State on the advice of an independent panel of experts known as the Treasure Valuation Committee. Although Treasure finds account for a relatively small proportion of archaeological items found in England and Wales by the public, finders are encouraged to record all archaeological items with the Portable Antiquities Scheme: this data is published on its online database at finds.org.uk. The Scheme and its network of local archaeologists – experts in recording small finds, known as Finds Liaison Officers – play an important role in the operation of the Treasure Act, advising finders of their legal obligations, providing advice on the process and writing reports on potential Treasure finds for local coroners. Organisation The administration of the Treasure Act is undertaken by the British Museum, which employs a Treasure Registrar and four Assistant Treasure Registrars, one of whom is part-time. This work involves the preparation of Treasure cases for inquest (at a Coroner’s Court), the handling of disclaimed cases, acting as the secretariat of the Treasure Valuation Committee, and the payment of rewards to finders/landowners. Treasure Valuation Committee The Committee’s terms of reference are detailed in the Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice. In short, it is tasked to recommend to the Secretary of State the value of Treasure finds, to recommend abatements of rewards in the case of misbehaviour on the part of the interested parties, and to recommend an apportionment of the reward when there is a disagreement among the parties. The Committee is made up of independent experts appointed for their knowledge of the antiquities trade; its membership also includes someone to represent the interests of finders, a museums’ representative, and an expert in cultural property law. Membership of the Committee at the time of publication consisted of Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn (Chairman), Professor Roger Bland, Dr Tim Pestell, Ms Marian Campbell, Ms Harry Bain, Ms Hetty Gleave, Mr Christopher Martin and Mr Jim Brown. More information on the Treasure Valuation Committee, as well as electronic versions of the minutes of the meetings of the Committee, can be found online at finds.org.uk/treasure Treasure Annual Reports Copies of previous reports can be found at finds.org.uk/news 6 Treasure cases 2015 Number of Treasure cases and geographic distribution The number of Treasure cases reported in 2015 was 1,005 (Table A). This is more than five times the number of cases reported in the first full year of the Act (1998). Table A: Number of Treasure cases reported 1988–2016 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Year No. of Treasure cases 1988 19 1989 23 1990 22 1991 16 1992 34 1993 37 1994 36 1995 20 1996 24 1997 79 1998 201 1999 236 2000 233 2001 214 2002 240 2003 427 2004 506 2005 595 2006 673 2007 747 2008 806 2009 778 2010 860 2011 969 2012 990 2013 990 2014 1,011 2015 1,005 2016 1,120 The high level of the reporting of Treasure reflects a wider understanding on the part of finders of their obligations under the Treasure Act, through the education and outreach work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and its Finds Liaison Officers. 7 Table B: Summary of all Treasure cases 1997–2015 by geographic area (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). - 00 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total 20 Bath & North East 1 2 1 1 4 0 3 12 Somerset Bedfordshire 7 2 3 2 6 7 8 15 6 14 8 11 15 17 12 8 141 Berkshire & 8 2 1 3 4 2 2 4 4 3 11 12 15 16 11 98 Reading Bristol 1 1 2 Buckinghamshire & 10 2 1 10 8 14 13 9 22 14 12 23 18 20 24 30 230 Milton Keynes Cambridgeshire & 12 4 3 6 2 12 22 34 21 8 21 22 28 29 22 22 268 Peterborough Cheshire and 8 3 5 6 3 4 1 9 5 10 11 7 6 10 14 8 110 Merseyside Cornwall 2 1 1 3 4 3 7 1 9 3 3 4 9 14 5 69 Coventry 2 2 1 5 Cumbria 1 4 1 2 3 8 6 6 13 10 9 8 11 10 92 Derbyshire 5 1 3 5 9 3 7 11 9 7 6 12 6 3 6 93 Devon 14 1 2 8 6 15 10 6 12 3 13 8 19 20 25 19 181 Dorset 20 6 8 15 9 10 16 17 18 17 16 23 27 41 35 40 318 Durham 1 1 2 1 1 4 5 1 5 8 1 2 10 6 40 Essex 26 8 9 19 25 44 44 36 57 54 57 91 67 66 80 49 732 Gloucestershire 13 2 2 2 10 12 15 12 12 10 5 14 19 15 15 13 171 Gloucestershire, S. 3 1 1 3 5 2 1 3 4 6 8 4 2 43 Hampshire 26 11 10 18 27 30 33 30 24 22 18 29 19 47 40 42 426 Herefordshire 1 2 2 5 4 2 5 7 7 11 10 4 11 71 Hertfordshire 16 4 3 3 12 4 14 16 9 19 14 11 13 17 25 13 193 Isle of` Wight 4 3 9 15 21 19 30 21 47 30 33 24 30 17 25 328 Kent 50 12 11 36 40 49 39 42 52 41 52 39 52 50 33 38 636 Lancashire 4 1 3 6 3 3 4 2 5 10 6 6 6 13 6 76 Leicestershire & 9 5 6 4 6 14 15 17 17 16 15 17 11 11 14 177 Rutland Lincolnshire 32 13 16 29 18 27 26 34 41 40 67 74 62 62 53 49 643 Lincolnshire, North 6 1 1 5 6 4 3 9 5 5 11 7 5 26 9 6 109 & North East London, Greater 7 1 1 5 2 5 6 14 14 15 11 22 11 8 5 13 140 Manchester, 2 2 1 1 2 1 9 Greater Norfolk 145 43 46 58 78 84 76 77 109 82 65 80 123 107 119 126 1,418 Northamptonshire 11 1 8 3 8 12 12 11 17 21 15 14 17 20 11 181 Northumberland 1 2 1 1 6 2 2 7 8 12 8 8 4 4 7 73 Nottinghamshire 13 3 3 6 6 13 4 14 24 14 20 15 11 9 10 23 188 Oxfordshire 8 4 5 4 7 10 14 12 11 13 12 9 19 19 28 46 221 Shropshire 7 1 3 3 7 8 9 12 12 15 9 11 7 15 9 14 142 Somerset