TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

FOREWORD
This is the eighth Annual Report to Parliament on
the operation of the Treasure Act 1996. Like its
predecessors, it lists all the finds that were reported as
potential Treasure to the British Museum, the National
Museums & Galleries of Wales, and the Environment
and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland. This Report
contains details of 592 and 665 new cases reported
during two years: 2005 and 2006. Of these cases, 282
new Treasure finds have been, or are being, acquired
by museums across the country, while 557 have been
disclaimed, 206 were deemed not to be Treasure and
212 cases are still to be determined.
From 2007 there will be a single annual report on
Treasure and Portable Antiquities. We feel that it
makes sense to bring these two reports together and
the combined report will provide a single complete
reference for all the most important finds reported in
2007, whether they qualify as Treasure or not. Because
the final disposition of some Treasure cases may not
be known for a year, next year’s report will contain
detailed summaries of the more important cases from
2007 together with a table listing all the Treasure
cases from 2006 with a note of their disposition
and valuation.
The number of finds being reported as Treasure
continues to increase rapidly: in 1998, the first full year
of the Treasure Act, there were 201 cases and by 2002
that number stood at 240 cases, while in 2007 the
total stood at 749. This is largely due to the expansion
of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2003, when 21
new Finds Liaison Officers were appointed across the
country. Finds Liaison Officers play a crucial role in the
effective operation of the Treasure Act, encouraging
finders to report their finds and guiding them through
the Treasure process: 97 per cent of finds of Treasure
are reported to the Finds Liaison Officer in the
first instance.
I would like to congratulate those finders who promptly
report their finds in accordance with the Code of
Practice on Responsible Metal Detecting. I am glad to
record the results of their actions in this Report and to
praise them for their enthusiasm for and commitment
to the responsible practice of their hobby. 94 per
cent of the finds in this Report were found by metaldetector
users and I would like to acknowledge the
role that the National Council for Metal Detecting
has played, not only in disseminating advice and
information to its members, but also in communicating
the views and experiences of those members back
to my Department.
I would also like to praise the contribution made
by the staff of the British Museum and the staff of
the National Museum Wales. The Treasure process
requires input from their curators, conservators,
scientists and a central treasure registry, all of whom
continue to achieve high standards of service despite
an increased workload.
I am most grateful to the Treasure Valuation
Committee for its provision of independent advice on
the valuation of Treasure finds. I commend particularly
the Chairman, Professor Norman Palmer CBE, for
continuing to guide the work of the Committee with
such an expert hand. In addition, Dr Jack Ogden,
Mr Trevor Austin and Ms May Sinclair have continued
to give freely and generously of their time and
expertise. Mr Thomas Curtis and Dr Arthur MacGregor
retired from the Committee during this period, after
having given valuable service, and we now welcome
the following new members to the Committee which
has expanded from six to eight members: Messrs Peter
Clayton and John Cherry, Professor Ian Carradice and
Dr Tim Pestell.
The work of the Committee receives vital support
from the panel of expert advisers from whom the
Committee commissions provisional valuations:
Mr Michael Sharp of Dix Noonan Webb, Mr James Ede
of Charles Ede Ltd, Mr Tom Eden of Morton and Eden,
Mr James Morton of Morton and Eden,
Ms Emily Barber of Bonhams, Ms Chantelle
Waddingham of Bonhams, Mr Mark Bowis of Christie’s,
Ms Judith Nugee of Christie’s, Mr Peter Clayton of
Seaby’s, Ms Joanna van der Lande, Mr Richard Falkiner
and Mr Peter Spencer. I would like to express my
appreciation of their knowledge and advice.
Funding bodies play an essential role in supporting the
acquisition of Treasure finds by museums, particularly
the Art Fund, the V&A/MLA Purchase Grant Fund, and
the Headley Museums Treasure Acquisition Scheme
(www.headleytreasures.org.uk), which operates in
conjunction with the Purchase Grant Fund.
In January 2006, my Department launched a new
initiative to encourage finders and landowners to
consider donating finds to museums, by giving
certificates to all those who have waived their rights
to a reward. It is very encouraging that in this Report
interested parties have waived their rights to a reward
in 25 cases in 2005 and a further 44 in 2006.
Following a consultation by my Department we
transferred the administrative responsibilities for
Treasure to the British Museum in March 2007.
The British Museum has recruited two full-time
and one part-time post in order to deal with these
additional responsibilities and both organisations
believe that the delivery and efficiency of the
process has improved as a result.
Margaret Hodge
Minister for Culture,
Creative Industries and Tourism 2008
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