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The Potential of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure
Finds for Understanding the Iron Age in the West Midlands
Angie Bolton
Finds Liaison Officer, West Midlands Portable Antiquities Scheme, Dept. Of Antiquities, City Museum
& Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH
Angiebolton73@hotmail.com
Introduction
This paper is going to use the material culture recorded by the Portable Antiquities
Scheme to discuss how this material can contribute and further our understanding of
the archaeological record in the West Midlands. The material culture discussed has all
been discovered by metal detectorists and some items have been reported under the
Treasure Act.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme will be briefly described; however, the focus of the
paper will be on the Iron Age coins and artefacts.
Portable Antiquities Scheme in the West Midlands
The Portable Antiquities Scheme initially emerged from the discussion document
Portable Antiquities, commissioned by the Department of National Heritage in 1995.
From this document it was realised a vast number of archaeological chance finds,
discovered by the general public, were going unreported. The Portable Antiquities
Scheme started as a pilot scheme in September 1997 with six Finds Liaison Officers,
the West Midlands being one of the schemes. In the Spring of 1999 a further five
schemes were established.
The main aim of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is to advance our knowledge of the
history and archaeology of England and Wales. The success of this aim can be
illustrated through the quantity and quality of the finds recorded by the Finds Liaison
Officers.
Existing Perception of the Region’s Iron Age Metalwork
The common perception of the West Midlands’ Iron Age, through its metalwork, is
that there are relatively few examples of fine metalwork and few coins discovered,
with the exception of the Severn Valley. Whilst looking into this paper and
researching individual types of finds, various distribution maps of artefacts types were
seen, for example the distribution map of Strap Unions composed by Taylor and
Brailesford, or the study of tankard handles by Corcoran.
These distribution maps suggest that the West Midlands is poor and, dare it be
suggested, a marginal region compared to other regions? Is this due to a lack of
detailed research into the metalwork, due to the large areas of conurbations and types
of land use disguising the true picture of our region, or is it in fact a marginal region?
Does the Portable Antiquities material support the marginal view?
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The Material Culture Recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme
The immediate impact of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is improving our
knowledge of the Iron Age through the material being recorded in the West Midlands.
This impact can be measured by comparing the number of finds recorded by the
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Worcester City Museum and Art Gallery,
Worcestershire County Museum, Warwickshire and the Potteries Museum and Art
Gallery during the five years prior to the scheme with the number of finds recorded by
the Portable Antiquities Scheme in its first five years. (Graph 1) The museums had
only recorded 21 finds; the Portable Antiquities Scheme recorded 98 finds.
Coins
Of the 98 finds recorded, there are 42 coins of various denominations. All of these
coins are published in the British Numismatics Journal and the details sent to the
Celtic Coin Index.
Map 1 illustrates the distribution of coin findspots that have been recorded by the
Portable Antiquities Scheme. Finders often come forward with gold and silver coins,
as they are immediately recognisable and considered to be important to record,
particularly within the metal detecting community, who have long since been
encouraged to provide information to the Celtic Coin Index. In comparison to the
bronze and de-based silver coins, the gold and silver are also more easily identifiable.
However, due to their desirability on the market, is this an optimistic view of
recording practices? Instead, many of the coins may be sold to dealers without being
recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, but are perhaps only recorded by the
Celtic Coin Index.
These coins are likely to be either individual chance losses or votive offerings. All of
the coins recorded have been discovered in the plough soil by metal detectorists.
However the recording of these coins is invaluable. For example, the detailed study
can suggest trading routes between different regions, and the study of die-links and
typologies can further define subtleties within the typology series of a region. In the
West Midlands there are continuing research opportunities in this field to improve our
understanding.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is providing the raw data from which further
research can be pursued. However, this raw data is only provided on a voluntary basis
and is, therefore, dependent upon the relationship between the Finds Liaison Officer
and the metal detectorists. The Finds Liaison Officer attends the metal detecting clubs
at Redditch, Kidderminster and Tamworth monthly, and 69% of the coins recorded
have been discovered by members of these three clubs.
In the West Midlands, excluding Herefordshire and Shropshire, there are
approximately four other metal detecting clubs in the region, therefore the potential to
further contribute information is extremely high. This number of clubs does not
include the clubs outside the region, for example Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, who
detect in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, or the club at Hinckley, Leicestershire,
who detect in Warwickshire.
Unfortunately, retrieving numismatics and metal work information from the Sites and
Monuments Record Office is not straightforward. The SMR Officer has often had to
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prioritise the level of information which comprises the digital dataset of the SMR, for
example a description of a site with the reference for the site report. It is likely to be
the site report which has the details of the numismatics.
This manual search of site reports is time-consuming and inefficient for the
interrogator of the SMR. This is no reflection on the SMR Officers, they themselves
acknowledge this shortfall in the system. Perhaps as part of the research framework,
consideration of additional funding for SMRs to provide this micro level of data
should be discussed.
Metalwork
Firstly, I would like to compare the types of metalwork recorded by the Portable
Antiquities Scheme in the West Midlands to that of the other schemes. There are
interesting variations in the quantity of various types of artefacts found in the different
regions, and the West Midlands certainly is not a poor or marginal region. For
example in the West Midlands and Hampshire the occurrence of lynch pin terminals
outnumbers that of terrets by 3:1. Whereas in the North Lincolnshire scheme 13
terrets and 20 other harness related artefacts have been recorded, but no lynch pin
terminals. This pattern is similar in the North West, Yorkshire and Welsh schemes,
where very few lynch pin terminals have been recorded (Worrell, forthcoming). These
statistics are difficult to interpret directly; however, they suggest a great potential for
this data to reveal regional variations in the use of artefacts and their deposition.
The West Midlands Portable Antiquities Scheme has recorded similar quantities of
Iron Age artefacts to those of the other schemes, illustrating, again, that the region is
not a poor or marginal region in relation to its Iron Age metalwork. J.D. Hill
comments that, in his opinion,“this is the most significant contribution the Portable
Antiquities Scheme has so far made to the study of the Iron Age.”
Miniature Shield
These are incredibly rare items, and were virtually unknown until the Salisbury
Hoard. There are perhaps six or seven findspots now across the country; two of these
are recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme and, more importantly, one of those
is from Warwickshire. This was discovered by a metal detectorist in the area of
Oversely Castle, Warwickshire, from within the plough soil.
The shield may give us an insight into the site or place of activity from where it was
recovered by comparing it to excavated examples – only three findspots provided
precise contexts. These examples suggest ritual deposition. Also, the shield has a
contribution to make in the study of full-size shields, which may not have survived in
the archaeological record due to the material they were composed of.
Strap Unions
The West Midlands Scheme has recorded two strap unions of the Iron Age. One in
particular is an unusual design for a strap union, using curvilinear trumpets and
bulbous knops. On one edge there is a break which occurred in antiquity. It is
debatable whether this was by accident or design. However the union has since been
broken into three fragments by the plough. The finder discovered the three fragments
over three consecutive years from within the plough soil.
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The strap union may not contribute certainties about the site or place of activity from
which it came, but it has highlighted the findspot, and the artefact can be studied to
suggest cultural associations through its style and typology. This strap union will also
contribute information to the SMR, which has only recorded a medieval spearhead
and prehistoric linear crop marks in this area.
Other types of Iron Age finds include a tankard handle, brooches, button-loop
fastenings and toggles. All of these finds can contribute to our understanding of the
Iron Age in the West Midlands, and in particular to the material culture. It is essential
for us to view metalwork and coin distributions, and the implied related activity, as
important aspects of the cultural landscape, just as cropmarks, pot scatters, and
earthworks are for example. However, this activity is likely to be invisible through
other archaeological means, such as aerial photographs or fieldwalking exercises.
Distribution of finds
The distribution of Iron Age material can be viewed in many ways, but should be
viewed with caution, as with all distribution plots. The artefacts and coins do suggest
Iron Age activity in certain areas, and those coins and artefacts can contribute
significantly to numismatic studies and artefact research as well as compliment
excavated work. However, the distribution of these items more accurately tell us
where metal detectorists are working who are in favour of recording their finds. South
Worcestershire has a high density of Dubonnic coins recorded on the SMR and
through the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and this mainly is due to a diligent and
responsible detectorist who has permission to detect on large areas of land in South
Worcestershire and who records all his finds. If this detectorist detected in South
Warwickshire, would the existing distribution of coins be altered?
Another influence on the distribution of coins and artefacts recorded by the Portable
Antiquities Scheme is land use. Metal detectorists mainly detect on ploughed land,
rather than pasture and woodland. North Worcestershire has a higher proportion of
woodland than South Worcestershire, therefore providing another possible
contribution to a skewed view of the distribution of material.
The influence of the Finds Liaison Officer has already been commented upon when
discussing the distribution of coins.
Conclusion
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is an important tool in the increased knowledge and
thereby understanding of the archaeology of the West Midlands. The Iron Age has
been taken as a case study here to illustrate the potential contribution of the Portable
Antiquities Scheme, and to also demonstrate the wealth of material culture from the
Iron Age in our region. As more objects are recorded we can start to ask more
questions of the Portable Antiquities Scheme finds concerning the Iron Age society in
our region and compare it to other regions. There are problems and biases, for
example in relation to the distribution patterns, but also, for example why are there
very few weapons, shields and other Iron Age material finds from the River Severn
compared to major rivers in eastern England or on the Continent? Is this real or a
product of lack of dredging, for example, on the river?
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The Portable Antiquities Scheme is able to enhance SMRs with information on what
previously were blank areas, and also compliment the SMR with further details of
known sites. Comment has been made concerning the suggestion of additional
funding to enhance SMRs in relation to small finds. This is an important aspect of the
SMR, which will support the development of research of material culture in the
region.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme will become a national scheme in April 2003,
thereby covering Herefordshire and Shropshire, and two other Finds Liaison Officers
will be working in the region. The potential for the quality and quantity of the
information in the future is, therefore, considerable. Further development of relations
between Finds Liaison Officers and metal detectorists is essential – metal detectorists
will continue to detect whether a Finds Liaison Officer is in post or not. We need to
harness, direct and educate metal detectorists in best practice that will enhance the
archaeological record, and not damage it.
To finish – if the West Midlands has produced as many Portable Antiquities recorded
as Iron Age artefacts as most other regions of England, what does that tell us about
the relative wealth and importance of the region in national terms? Here we must
remember that the West Midlands has one of only two concentrations of gold torcs.
These four torcs from our region are poorly understood, but are comparable to the
concentrations of torcs of similar date in northeast Norfolk, around Snettisham. What
implications do these have for understanding the Iron Age of the West Midlands?
Will Staffordshire produce its own site as rich as Snettisham in the future? How will
the Portable Antiquities Scheme further contribute to our knowledge and
understanding of archaeology in the Iron Age period?
Acknowledgements
Many people helped to write this paper and gave advice, information, and
encouragement. Thank you.