Treasure Act Annual Report 2010 Presented to Parliament Pursuant to Section 12 of the Treasure Act 1996
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Treasure Act Annual Report 2010 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 12 of the Treasure Act 1996 November 2012 Treasure Act Annual Report 2010 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 12 of the Treasure Act 1996 November 2012 i Minister’s foreword v Contents Introduction vii Treasure cases 2010 viii Tables of Treasure cases 2010 xiii Update on 2009 Treasure cases xlviii © Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2012 Edited by I Richardson, M Lewis, H Orange & C Lyons Published by the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure, British Museum ii iii Minister’s foreword It is my pleasure to introduce the Treasure Act Annual Report 2010. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Treasure Valuation Committee, The Treasure Act 1996 continues to be a great which provided valuation recommendations for success, ensuring that the most significant over 270 treasure cases from 2010. This summer archaeological discoveries are housed in public marks the first year of Professor Lord Renfrew of museums for the benefit of all. 2010 was a record Kaimsthorn’s Chairmanship of the Committee, and he year, with the number of potential Treasure finds has brought a wealth of archaeological knowledge reported increasing to 860 in England and Wales, and experience to the post. I am thankful for the a 10.5% increase since the previous year. Of these services of all of the Committee members, who items, 299 have been (or are to be) acquired by voluntarily provide their time and expertise. museums. It is especially satisfying that the number of interested parties waiving their right to a reward for Treasure finds remains high, with 86 individuals waiving their Ed Vaizey share in 70 cases. These donations have allowed 37 Minister for Culture, Communications museums to acquire finds that may otherwise have and the Creative Industries not been available for the public to study and enjoy. November 2012 Similarly, 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 extremely grateful to these organisations for their recognition of the importance of archaeological finds and their support of museums’ efforts to acquire them. I am also impressed with local fundraising campaigns, and it is heartening to see so many individuals and organisations in local communities supporting the acquisition of Treasure items and investing in their heritage. There are many others to whom I am indebted for the continued success of the Treasure Act, in particular the Portable Antiquities Scheme and its local network of Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs), to whom most finds of Treasure are reported. The FLOs’ role is vital in informing finders of treasure and landowners of archaeological best practice and their responsibilities under the law and they are also indispensable in facilitating the administration of Treasure cases. Together with curators, scientists and conservators at the British Museum and National Museum Wales, they also provide expert reports on Treasure finds for Coroners. I would also like to thank Coroners and their staff for their diligence in holding Treasure inquests. The Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum supports Coroners in England and serves as the secretariat for the Treasure Valuation Committee and I am grateful for their continued excellent work. iv v 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 leafletAdvice 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 finds found in England and Wales by the public, any archaeological find may be recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme: this data is published online at finds.org.uk. The Scheme and its network of local archaeologists – experts in recording small finds, known as Finds Liaison Officers – play an increasingly 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 process is undertaken by the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at 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, the secretariat of the Treasure Valuation Committee, and the payment of rewards to finders/ landowners. Treasure Annual Reports Copies of previous reports can be found at culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/cultural_property/ 3291.aspx vi vii Table B: Summary of all Treasure cases 1997–2010 by geographic area Treasure cases (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) 2010 Number of Treasure cases and The high level of the reporting of Treasure reflects 1997 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total geographic distribution a wider understanding on the part of finders of (pre-Act) (post-Act) The number of Treasure cases reported in 2010 their obligations under the Treasure Act, through Bath & North was 860 (Table A), an increase of 10.5% on 2009; the education and outreach work of the Portable East Somerset 1 2 1 1 5 this is a 328% increase on the first full year of the Antiquities Scheme and its Finds Liaison Officers. Bedfordshire 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 6 7 8 15 6 14 8 78 Act (1998). Table B illustrates the geographic distribution of Berkshire & Reading 1 7 2 1 3 4 2 2 4 4 3 33 Table A: Number of Treasure cases Treasure finds. This shows that in 2010 reporting Bristol 1 1 reported 1988–2011 of Treasure in England was heaviest along the Buckinghamshire (England, Wales & Northern Ireland) eastern half of the country, with North Yorkshire & Milton Keynes 1 2 5 2 2 1 10 8 14 13 9 22 14 12 115 and Lincolnshire each having 67 cases reported, Cambridgeshire followed by Norfolk (65), Suffolk (59), Essex (57) Year No. of Treasure cases & Peterborough 3 2 2 5 4 3 6 2 12 22 34 21 8 21 145 and Kent (52). The only other county with more than 1988 19 30 cases was Wiltshire (36), but the Isle of Wight Cheshire & 1989 23 (30) continued to report a high number of finds Merseyside 1 3 1 3 3 5 6 3 4 1 9 5 10 11 65 1990 22 for a relatively small area. Several areas (mostly Cornwall 1 1 1 1 3 4 3 7 1 9 3 34 1991 16 metropolitan ones and those in the western part of Coventry 2 2 1 5 1992 34 England) had only a handful (or no) cases reported. Cumbria 1 4 1 2 3 8 6 6 13 44 This broadly reflects the pattern of cases reported 1993 37 since 1997. Derbyshire 1 3 1 1 3 5 9 3 7 11 9 7 60 1994 36 Devon 5 4 5 1 2 8 6 15 10 6 12 3 13 90 1995 20 The number of Treasure cases reported from Wales Dorset 3 5 9 3 6 8 15 9 10 16 17 18 17 16 152 1996 24 (25) was up 25% on the previous year, but remains Durham 1 1 2 1 1 4 5 1 5 21 significantly less than the number reported from 1997 79 Essex 2 8 8 8 8 9 19 25 44 44 36 57 54 57 379 England (835). Northern Ireland had no finds of 1998 201 Treasure reported in 2010. Wales has a single Gloucestershire 2 2 6 3 2 2 2 10 12 15 12 12 10 5 95 1999 236 full-time Portable Antiquities Scheme post (though Gloucestershire, 2000 233 finds-recording work is also undertaken by the Welsh South 1 2 1 1 3 5 2 1 3 4 23 Archaeological Trusts) and Northern Ireland is not 2001 214 Hampshire 1 5 10 10 11 10 18 27 30 33 30 24 22 18 249 covered by the Scheme. 2002 240 Herefordshire 1 2 2 5 4 2 5 7 28 2003 427 Hertfordshire 1 5 5 5 4 3 3 12 4 14 16 9 19 14 114 2004 506 Isle of Wight 3 1 3 9 15 21 19 30 21 47 30 199 2005 595 Kent 1 1 12 18 18 12 11 36 40 49 39 42 52 41 52 424 2006 673 Lancashire 1 1 1 3 6 3 3 4 2 5 10 39 2007 747 Leicestershire and Rutland 1 4 2 2 5 6 4 6 14 15 17 17 16 109 2008 806 Lincolnshire 2 8 9 13 13 16 29 18 27 26 34 41 40 67 343 2009 778 Lincolnshire, North 2010 860 & North East 2 2 1 1 1 1 5 6 4 3 9 5 5 11 56 2 0 11 970 London, Greater 1 3 2 1 1 1 5 2 5 6 14 14 15 11 81 Manchester, Greater 2 2 1 1 6 Norfolk 5 8 40 49 43 43 46 58 78 84 76 77 109 82 65 863 Northamptonshire 1 1 3 6 1 8 3 8 12 12 11 17 21 104 Northumberland 1 2 1 1 6 2 2 7 8 12 42 Nottinghamshire 3 2 4 4 3 3 6 6 13 4 14 24 14 20 120 Oxfordshire 1 1 2 1 3 4 5 4 7 10 14 12 11 13 12 100 Shropshire 5 2 1 3 3 7 8 9 12 12 15 9 86 Somerset 3 4 3 4 6 4 12 16 13 12 12 17 16 122 Somerset, North 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 7 16 viii ix Analysis of Treasure finds 1997 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total (pre-Act) (post-Act) Table C provides the dispositional outcome of Staffordshire 2 3 1 2 2 2 2 11 14 2 15 14 15 18 103 Treasure cases according to period and type.