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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What are the rules if you find treasure in the UK?
Malcom Weale knew he'd discovered "something very special" when he spotted a lost 18th century ring "gleaming in the sunshine". The 53-year-old detectorist was overcome with excitement when he found the ring while walking in a field near Thetford, Norfolk. The gold and enamel coated ring is believed to be mourning ring believed to have been made in memory of Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy, the third baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, The Independent reports. Weale says he had been searching the area for 18 months before finding the jewellery and "did a bit of a dance" when he realised what he'd discovered. However, due to strict regulations in the UK, he has had to hand the ring into a coroner and does not get to keep it – for now at least. Here, Yahoo News explains the rights and responsibilities of people who discover treasure in the UK, and how much money can be made from these discoveries. If you think you've found treasure in the UK, you are legally obliged to report it to your local Finds Liaison Officer within either 14 days of finding it, or within 14 days of realising the item might be treasure. Finds Liaison Officers, who are employed by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, work to identify and record archaeological objects found by members of the public. You can find your local Finds Liaison Officer here. After reporting your find, you will be contacted by either your local Finds Liaison Officer or a museum curator to talk about how and where you made the find, according to the UK government. You'll be given a receipt, and the liaison officer or museum curator will then write up a report on the find. At this stage, museums may express an interest in keeping the item if it might be treasure. A coroner will then hold an inquest on the discovery, which you may be invited along to, along with the site occupier and landowner of where the treasure was found. If your find is not counted as treasure, or no museum wants it, the coroner will return it to you, although the landowner and site occupier will have 28 days to object beforehand. People who find treasure and fail to report it face an unlimited fine or up to three months in prison. You only need to report items officially defined as treasure under the Treasure Act 1996, which you can find here. If the item you found isn't classed as treasure but is still of historical or cultural interest, you can report it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in England, or the Cymru PAS Scheme in Wales. While you are legally required to hand in any treasure you find, you may be entitled to a payout depending on its value. Following a discovery, the Treasure Valuation Committee (TVC), comprising of independent antiques or coin experts and a representative of metal-detecting community, will ask an expert to value your find. Afterwards, the committee will recommend to the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) how much the treasure is worth and how much should go to anyone eligible for a share of a reward. You'll have an opportunity to comment on the valuation, along with the site occupier and landowner, and if you disagree with it, you can ask the Treasure Valuation Committee for a review, send your own valuation to the committee to consider, or appeal to the DCMS. You may get a share of the reward, paid by the DCMS, if you had permission to be on the land at the time and acted in good faith, if you had freehold of the land, or if you occupied the land as a tenant, the government says. Legal firm Boodle Hatfield says that in most scenarios, the reward is shared 50:50 between the landowner and the finder. However, if you acted in bad faith, for example by trespassing or trying to hide your find, you may get a reduced share or nothing at all. Rewards for finding treasure in the UK will vary a lot depending on valuations, but some lucky detectorists have made substantial sums. A hoard of 2,400 coins from the time of the Norman Conquest, found in a field in Chew Valley, Somerset in 2019, was valued at £4.3m. This made it the highest value treasure find on record in England, the Guardian reported, with half of the proceeds going to the band of seven detectorists. In 2009, detectorist Terry Herbert discovered Britain's largest collection of gold and silver Anglo Saxon treasures in Brownhills, in the West Midlands, using a metal detector he bought at a car boot sale for £2.50. He got a substantial return on his investment, as the haul was valued at £3.28m, which, despite a dispute with landowner and former friend Fred Johnson, was shared equally between the pair, The Independent reported. A less eyewatering but still substantial reward of £110,000 was split between the owner of a field in Silverdale, Lancashire, and stonemason Darren Webster, who in 2011 found a stash of Viking treasure using a metal detector his wife had bought him for Christmas. The Guardian reports that the haul included more than 200 pieces of silver, including arm rings, brooches, and silver ingots and a misspelt coin that revealed a previously unknown Viking ruler. Read more Excavation looks to solve mystery of King John's lost treasure after 800 years (Yahoo News UK) Why picking up a lost £20 note could leave you with a criminal record (The Telegraph) 90-Year-Old Treasure Hunter Finds Iron Age Hoard Worth £20,000 In Dorset Field (Cover)
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Centuries-old ring found 'gleaming in the sunshine'
A metal detectorist has discovered a gold mourning ring dating from the 18th Century "gleaming in the sunshine". Malcom Weale, 53, unearthed the ring in a field near Thetford, in Norfolk, in August. The piece of jewellery, linked to an ancestor of Gawdy Hall Estate in Harleston, is believed to have been created in memory of Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy, the 3rd Baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged 56. Describing the moment he spotted it, Mr Weale said: "I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance." Mr Weale, who has been a detectorist since he was seven years old, found the piece, that was crafted in gold and enamel, after searching the area for 18 months. He also discovered "some medieval silver coins from King Stephen to Henry VII, some modern coins, some vape ring pulls and shotgun caps". The ring has been declared treasure at Norfolk Coroner's Court and will now be taken to the British Museum for valuation, to see how much money the finder and landowner will get. Mr Weale said: "Over the years I've found all sorts of treasures including a hoard of late Roman coins, gold rings and jewellery. "Last year was a particularly good year for detecting as, thanks to the rainfall, the moisture levels in the ground were very high. "With metal detecting you can spend days, weeks or months searching, or sometimes just 20 minutes and make an amazing discovery." 'Six inches down in the mud' On the day of the discovery, he said: "There it was, a glint of pure gold, shiny as the day it was dropped, six inches down in the mud. "It's very rare to put a name to anything you find, but I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance." He also discovered "a gold memorial ring, a medieval silver ring fragment, and the first and only Viking penny minted for Guthrum - a Viking warlord who became the first Viking king to convert to Christianity and ruled East Anglia in the 870s". The Gawdy family is believed to have been descended from Sir Brews Gawdey, a French knight who was captured during the Hundred Years War. After being taken prisoner in 1352, it appears he was naturalised and settled in Suffolk, although the Gawdy Hall estate is just north of the River Waveney in Norfolk. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Gold ring found 'gleaming in the sunshine' in Norfolk field
A mental detectorist has discovered a gold mourning ring dating from the 16th Century "gleaming in the sunshine". Malcom Weale, 53, unearthed the ring in August, in a field in Norfolk. The piece of jewellery, linked to an ancestor of Gawdy Hall Estate in Harleston, is believed to have been created in memory of Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy, the 3rd Baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged Weale said when he spotted it "I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance". Mr Weale, 53, who has been a detectorist since he was seven years old, found the piece, that was crafted in gold and enamel, after searching the area for 18 months. He also discovered "some medieval silver coins from King Steven to Henry VII, some modern coins, some vape ring pulls and shotgun caps". The ring has been declared treasure at Norfolk Coroner's Court and will now be taken to the British Museum for valuation, to see how much money the finder and landowner will Weale said: "Over the years I've found all sorts of treasures including a hoard of late Roman coins, gold rings and jewellery."Last year was a particularly good year for detecting as, thanks to the rainfall, the moisture levels in the ground were very high."With metal detecting you can spend days, weeks or months searching, or sometimes just 20 minutes and make an amazing discovery." 'Six inches down in the mud' On the day of the discovery "there it was, a glint of pure gold, shiny as the day it was dropped, six inches down in the mud". "It's very rare to put a name to anything you find, but I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance," he also discovered "a gold memorial ring, a medieval silver ring fragment, and the first and only Viking penny minted for Guthrum - a Viking warlord who became the first Viking king to convert to Christianity and ruled East Anglia in the 870s". The Gawdy family is believed to have been descended from Sir Brews Gawdey, a French knight who was captured during the Hundred Years being taken prisoner in 1352, it appears he was naturalised and settled in Suffolk, although the Gawdy Hall estate is just north of the River Waveney in Norfolk. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
