Worcestershire Ranks Among the UK’s Top Treasure Discovery Locations
Worcestershire boasts one of the highest treasure finds in the UK, showcasing its rich historical significance and archaeological value
Worcestershire, UK, Treasure, Archaeology, Metal Detecting, Roman Coins
Worcestershire: Almost 700,000 objects have been found across the UK, and guess what? Worcestershire has the second highest number of those classified as treasure. Pretty cool, right?
Dan Boatright-Greene, a councillor in Worcestershire with a PhD in Archaeology, isn’t shocked by this. He says the county is packed with rich history, which makes it a treasure hotspot.
He mentioned, “It’s no surprise we’re among the top places for treasure finds. Our history is just that rich.” He also emphasized the importance of reporting finds legally, which helps uncover amazing sites.
Metal detectorists play a big role in this treasure hunt. They need to report their finds, and it’s awesome to see them doing just that. Plus, if you stumble upon a hoard, you get to keep half of it!
The Government defines treasure as anything over 300 years old that has at least 10% gold or silver. In Worcestershire, the British Museum has recorded 3,465 objects, with over half being classified as treasure.
This puts Worcestershire in third place in the UK for treasure finds, just behind the Scottish Borders and Lancashire. Some notable discoveries include a massive find in 1999 of 434 silver coins and pottery shards near Chaddesley Corbett.
Then in 2011, two metal detectorists from Redditch hit the jackpot with a clay pot full of 3,784 coins on Bredon Hill. And just this year, a hoard of Roman coins worth around £100,000 was found at a building site near Leigh and Bransford.
Dr. Murray Andrews, a lecturer in British archaeology, called it “the most miraculous thing I’ve seen in the last century.” He noted how significant this find is for understanding what life was like here 2,000 years ago.