Selected projects
4.19.21 Catterick, North Yorkshire, metal-detecting project
Following a spate of attacks by illicit treasure hunters in 1997, a group of local metal-detectorists approached two of the landowners at Catterick for permission to detect on their land immediately after ploughing to forestall the so-called 'night-hawks'. The metal-detectorists also approached the County Archaeologist to seek archaeological support for recording finds locations and finds identification. In the light of the recent English Heritage Council for British Archaeology survey, Metal-detecting and archaeology in England, a joint project was developed by the metal-detectorists, English Heritage, and Northern Archaeological Associates. As a result of the previous extensive involvement of the English Heritage Central Archaeology Service in the Catterick area, the Central Archaeology Service took responsibility for off-site finds work with Northern Archaeological Associates carrying out field recording and limited field walking. The initiative also provided a basis for the development of comparative data for the Owmby-by-Spital project, reported in previous issues of Archaeology Review.
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One of the sites lay just outside the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Cataractonium Roman Town and produced 17 coins out of a total of 248 metal-detected finds, along with 193 ceramic finds and 9 flints (mostly flakes). The second site located away from the town produced 171 coins out of a total of 721 metal-detected finds along with 100 ceramic finds. In terms of archaeological knowledge gained, the data recovered afford additional comparative information regarding the level of coin use and the occupation of the sites themselves. The emerging results of the project demonstrate the potential mutual benefits of joint projects between archaeologists and metal-detectorists and, with the cooperation of the landowners, the possibilities for countering the threat to sites posed by illicit metal-detecting.