LAND OWNER & FINDER AGREEMENT
This is the club’s landowner/finder/s agreement. Finds that are subject to Treasure Trove laws are to be equally shared 50/50 between the landowner/s and finder/s or as otherwise agreed. All items of a valued at £500 and over that are not treasure trove must be also equally shared between both parties.
THE TREASURE ACT 2006
Any metallic object, other than a coin, provided that at least 10 per cent by weight of metal is precious metal (that is, gold or silver) and that it is at least 300 years old when found. If the object is of prehistoric date it will be Treasure provided any part of it is precious metal.
Any group of two or more metallic objects of any composition of prehistoric date that come from the same find (see below)
Two or more coins from the same find provided they are at least 300 years old when found and contain 10 per cent gold or silver (if the coins contain less than 10 per cent of gold or silver there must be at least ten of them). Only the following groups of coins will normally be regarded as coming from the same find: Hoards that have been deliberately hidden; smaller groups of coins, such as the contents of purses, that may been dropped or lost; votive or ritual deposits.
Any object, whatever it is made of, that is found in the same place as, or had previously been together with, another object that is Treasure.
You can see the whole Treasure Act here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/24/contents
DISCLAIMER
We do our very best to provide you with the best possible farm land and detecting conditions. Sites are carefully researched and for the most part will not have been tested by us unless otherwise stated. Our aim is to state in advance whenever land used by us for club digs has previously been searched but this of course depends on accurate information given us by landowners. We can only gain and maintain an excellent reputation by not making exaggerated and false claims and all finds are natural. We would like you to be aware that not every field in Britain is filled with gold and detecting can be hard at the best of times; some fields are good whilst others are poor. Of course we hope that you do make great finds but cannot guarantee the number, age or indeed value of any coins or artefacts. However, by endeavoring to regularly obtain permission on a variety of new farms with a good diverse historic background, we hope to increase your chances of success and wish you good luck!
The metal detector finds, their descriptions & images on our website are genuine Weekend Wanderers member’s finds made on our own organized days out. Non-Weekend Wanderers finds will be stated as such. All descriptions of images will be as accurate as possible but if we have made an error please let us know.
COPYRIGHT
Images and photographs that are submitted to us for inclusion on any Weekend Wanderers article or on the Weekend Wanderers website/s shall be with the full consent of the sender. The Weekend Wanderers shall have full rights to use any said images or articles thus submitted. If any sender, finder or persons depicted in any images or articles wishes such to be removed then please let us know.
All images used by us are subject to copyright, Weekend Wanderers 2008
HOW TO JOIN THE CLUB
We are always pleased to have new members join our friendly club so for that reason we have made it easy to join the Weekend Wanderers. Membership is on an annual basis and runs for twelve months from the month that you join and then renewed on the first day of that month a year later.
E-mails are sent to you with dig information and usually features where we are digging with directions plus research and history notes so we will need e-mail address with your application. Please let us know as soon as your e-mail address has altered. A receipt is sent when you have paid for either new membership or for membership renewal. The initial joining fee to join the Weekend Wanderers is just £20 giving you one years membership. After that your annual subscriptions is just £15. We will e-mail you a reminder that your subs are due. See more on renewing on the ‘Renewals’ page.
In the event that your e-mails stop please let me know as soon as possible rather than leave it for months. There could be an unforeseen problem such as our mail ending up in your spam folder or even an incorrectly typed e-mail address which is a common fault. That is why we ask you to e-mail us when you join and especially when you renew so that we can copy & paste your e-mail address onto our database. Please include your membership number when you send your renewal.
As farmers often make last minute changes, dig details are normally sent just a few days before a weekend dig. If your e-mail has not arrived by Saturday phone 01256 702255 for recorded details and call on Wednesday for details of Thursday meetings.
Return your application form with your name address, contact numbers, e-mail address, fee & a photo with your NCMD or FID number on the back. We ask is that you are members of the National Council for Metal Detectorists (NCMD) or the Federation of Independent Detectorists (FID) that gives you public liability insurance that you must renew annually. We will then send your new Weekend Wanderers membership card plus an information pack with further details about the club.
All cheques should be made payable to Peter Welch and sent to PO BOX 7367 Hook Hampshire RG27 7FA
CLUB RULES & CODE OF CONDUCT
Please remember that whenever you or your guests attend a Weekend Wanderers event,
a few important rules must be observed, especially the first three.
*Always fill your holes carefully even on stubble and ploughed land. Horse riders, livestock and walkers cross our fields and could break a leg in unfilled holes. It also gives us a bad image.
* Never replace grass upside down. This looks dreadful. Hay making and silage cutting equipment is damaged by stones and by upside down divots left on the surface. You must heel in every divot firmly.
* Take any large items of iron such as plough shares and horseshoes with you or place them in the nearest hedge. Please do not leave them on the surface, as this will cause damage to farm machinery. It is good practice to remove unwanted finds like cartridge cases and other small junk items. Discarded junk items give annoying surface signals for you and others.
*Open farm gates rather than climbing over them. Farmers get pretty cross when their gates break! Make sure that you have closed any gates securely.
*Do not trespass on club farms. Permission to detect on Weekend Wanderers farmland is granted only on days agreed between the landowner and the organizer. No re-visiting our farms or approaching our landowners for own permission.
*No detecting on out of bounds areas. Only search on designated fields.
*Please park in allocated areas wherever possible. Avoid blocking entrances and farm machinery.
*Litter must always be taken home especially on overnight stays and rallies.
*Respect the country code.
*If you discover any live ammunition or any lethal object such as an unexploded bomb or mine do not touch it. Mark the site carefully and contact me or report to the landowner or local police.
*Dogs are not allowed on any venue unless kept on a lead. Farmers do not like a potential threat to livestock.
*Young children must be supervised at all times. Farms and fields are full of hidden dangers. Slurry pits, barbed wire, livestock and moving vehicles such as tractors name just a few. It’s nice to see kids on the digs but The Weekend Wanderers cannot assume liability in the event of injury.
*Acquaint yourself with the laws of Treasure Trove, which have been revised. Make sure that you understand the changes.
*In the event that you have come across suspected archaeology or hoard then digging should stop immediately and the organiser should be informed.
RECORDING FINDS
Whilst not a legal requirement we urge you to record your finds with the FLO or with us at the dig or rally. If you are unable to record your finds with a FLO at a dig/rally please take all recordable finds to your local FLO for recording. These are generally all coins and artefacts pre 1716, however ‘grotty’! FLOs would be grateful if finds are bagged and rally place names and dates written on the bags. Identification may be helped if you are able to gently clean the surface mud off your find before you take it to your FLO. Sometimes finds can be recorded at later meetings but bear in mind that FLOs are likely only to carry maps relevant to their counties. For the PAS database, contact details and conservation advice please visit www.finds.org.uk
RECORDING
YOUR FINDS
RECORDING YOUR FINDS
Left in the ground, ancient objects suffer constant annual damage with every pass of the plough. With the slow and inevitable corrosive action of modern agricultural fertilisers, these objects will eventually be lost forever. Fortunately metal detectorists successfully rescue and preserve thousands of objects from ruin such as corroded Roman ‘grots’ to hoards of national importance.
It is a fact that had those finds stayed in the ground to rot, vital knowledge would surely have been lost. By the same token, this very same information would equally be lost if the location of finds is not properly recorded. Happily though, modern detectorists enthusiastically and consistently have their finds recorded thereby totally invalidating any outdated viewpoints from detractors.
Having your finds recorded is easy, a lot of fun and is the best way to have your things identified properly. We are pleased to invite along to our club digs a regional finds liaison officer (FLO) who will gladly assist you with the proper identification and recording of your finds and register them on the national database. You can see your records on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) web site & FLO details can be found on the Contact Others page on this site.
If you are unable to record your finds with the PAS at a dig please take all recordable finds to your local FLO for recording. These are generally all coins and artefacts pre 1700 AD however worn. Roman grots, pottery and flints are all of interest. FLOs would be grateful if finds are bagged and dig place names and dates written on the bags. Identification may be helped if you are able to gently clean the surface mud off your find before you take it to your FLO. Ideally, plot your finds with a GPS device. Sometimes finds can be recorded at later club meetings but bear in mind that FLOs are likely only to carry maps relevant to their counties.
Please visit www.finds.org.uk for the PAS database to see your recorded finds and also for conservation advice and contact details.
