Conservation Bulletin 70 | PDF - English Heritage

HERITAGE CRIME
constructed to commemorate the fallen from the
First World War, with dedications to those who
gave their lives in the Second World War and more
recent conflicts added subsequently.The memorial
was listed Grade II in 2010.
It has been targeted by thieves on two occasions.
The first incident in 2007 saw the York paving
around the memorial stolen, removing one of the
key features of its setting.To ensure access for the
Remembrance Day service the stolen flags were
quickly replaced by the local authority with the
help of a local stone masonry firm, which provided
the labour and transport free of charge. The thief
was arrested after being caught returning to steal
the replacement paving and was sentenced to a
four-month custodial sentence. Following the
replacement, the flags were marked with Smart-
Water.
In 2011 the memorial was once again targeted
by thieves; this time the metal inscription plaques
were stolen. Fortunately, a local historian had
researched the names on the memorial and
produced a website of their stories (www.carshaltonwarmemorial.webs.com).
Without this, the
243 names might have been lost forever.
Interestingly, the theft of the plaques revealed
that the names of the fallen had originally been on
Portland stone panels. It was therefore decided
to replace the names on Portland stone, not only
to remove the risk of future thefts but also to
reinstate the original design. A local scrap-metal
merchant, so upset with the trend of metal theft,
paid for the replacement stone panels. ■
If you have any queries regarding a war memorial,
please contact the Conservation Team at
conservation@warmemorials.org or 020 7233 7356.
Irchester: a tale of two convictions
Ben Robinson
Principal Adviser, Heritage at Risk,, English Heritage
and Helen Woodhouse
Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments, English Heritage
The tell-tale pockmarks left by illegal metaldetecting
are an all-too-familiar and distressing
sight to many landowners and archaeologists.
Difficulties in gathering unambiguous evidence,
the guile of offenders and inexperience in dealing
with this particular crime have all conspired to
make the theft of artefacts from private and legally
protected archaeological sites a poorly enforced
area of our national heritage legislation. But one
recent case has demonstrated that persistence and
collaborative work can produce effective results.
The site of Irchester Roman town lies in the
Nene Valley in Northamptonshire. The scheduled
monument, designated in 1951, includes not only
the core of the Roman town, its suburbs and outlying
cemeteries, but also the remains of a deserted
medieval settlement. Surrounded by the scheduled
monument lies a historic farm complex, including
a Grade II* 17th-century farmhouse. Excavations
at the Roman town in the 19th century confirmed
the presence of building remains, including those
of a temple or shrine. Latterly, aerial photographs
and geophysical survey have revealed the street
plan, lined with individual properties and public
buildings.The history of the Roman town has been
further illuminated by carefully targeted modern
archaeological excavations, but it remains a largely
unexplored place; an intriguing part of our national
heritage whose full story has yet to be told.
In an enlightened move Northamptonshire
County Council bought the site in 2004 to save it
from dereliction. Although the ploughing of the
Roman town has long ceased and it was seemingly
secure beneath pasture, the site and adjoining farm
buildings suffered from trespass, damage, theft and
unauthorised grazing. Disaster struck in 2010 when
the historic farmhouse was gutted by fire. It was
during the subsequent restoration works in 2011
In 2011 treasure
hunters were
caught digging illegal
trenches inside the
designated area of
the Roman town
at Irchester in
Northamptonshire.
© Northamptonshire
County Council
38 | Conservation bulletin | Issue 70: Summer 2013