Looted artefacts recovered in UK to go on display

Treasure hunters using metal detectors are believed to have been behind the removal of nearly 900 artefacts, including a bronze age axe and medieval coins, from Ireland that have now been recovered in the UK.

“We know for a fact that metal detectors were used,” said Dr Ned Kelly, keeper of antiquities with the National Museum of Ireland, where the items will be put on display tomorrow.

It is illegal to use a metal detector without a licence and the penalties including a jail sentence of up to four years and a fine of up to €63,500.

Bronze Age Ireland: the country’s golden era

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In confirming the recovery of the 899 items, the National Museum referred to them as having been looted and said, “The collection was amassed by an individual, now deceased, who operated in the Co Tipperary area with assistance from another person who did not reside within the jurisdiction.”

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Ancient skeletons uncovered in Amesbury

SIX Saxon skeletons dating back over a thousand years and Bronze Age round barrows have been discovered in Amesbury.

The remains, unearthed at a brownfield development site in London Road, are thought to be those of adolescent to mature males and females.

Five skeletons were arrayed around a small circular ditch, with the grave of a sixth skeleton in the centre. Two lots of beads, a shale bracelet and other grave goods were also found.

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Whitby Abbey grounds damaged by illegal metal detecting

Damage has been caused to the grounds of the historic Whitby Abbey by illegal metal detecting.

Since March, 14 holes have been dug across the Grade I-listed site while the property is closed at night.

English Heritage and police believe it is the result of illegal metal detecting, known as nighthawking.

Heritage chiefs said it was extremely unlikely anything significant remained in the ground and the activity was being taken "very seriously".

The abbey, which was the backdrop to the opening of Bram Stoker's Dracula, dates from AD664 and has been the subject of numerous archaeological digs over the years.

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Gold Brooch dubbed a unique discovery

It was early evening when the phone rang, it was my detecting friend Peter, telling me of a new field he had just been given permission to detect on, and asked if I would I like to join him the next morning for a couple of hours. Without hesitation I said yes.

The next day was very cold and frosty, and my first impression was not great as I noticed, horses on one side of the field. I always get nervous around horses, so I turned my E-TRAC on and headed in the opposite direction.

A couple of hours went by, and I'd been picking up the odd button and buckle but no sign of any coins. I turned to see what part of the field Peter was detecting in and noticed that the horses were heading in my direction. So I promptly moved down towards a small stream.

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'Idiotic' pair pick up unexploded 2ft bombs

This is the moment two men each casually carried a 2ft-long unexploded bomb each after finding them washed up on a beach.

The pair were pictured with the two potentially deadly rusty 120mm tank shells slung over the shoulders.
Onlookers watched as the men strolled past them with the explosives that date back to the Cold War.


It is believed the unidentified pair may have seized the bombs to try and later cash in as scrap metal.
Now the MoD is urgently appealing for them to make contact with them so the ordnance can be safely removed before it blows up.

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Hoard of roman gold coins found in St Albans (Archive Oct 2012)

A "nationally significant" hoard of Roman gold coins has been found by a metal detectorist in Hertfordshire.

The stash - found on private land north of St Albans - is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards discovered in the UK.

The 159 coins date to the end of the 4th Century during the final years of Roman rule in Britain. After AD 408 no more coin supplies reached the country.

The value of the hoard has not yet been assessed.

A team from St Albans City and District Council museums' service investigated the site at the beginning of October to confirm the find.

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Coins from 1600s declared treasure

An amateur treasure hunter made the discovery of his life when he unearthed 82 silver coins thought to have been buried during the English Civil War.

The hoard, found by lorry driver Mark Greensmith, has now been officially declared as treasure and will eventually be placed on display in a museum.

Mr Greensmith, of Checkley, was using his metal detector in August last year when he found the trove — consisting of coins from the reigns of Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I — on a farm just outside Uttoxeter.

A report by Dr Barrie Cook, a British Museum coin expert, said the treasure may have been buried to keep it safe during the 1640s by someone who was later killed in the Civil War.

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