Tom_in_CA
Gold Member
- Mar 23, 2007
- 13,804
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- Detector(s) used
- Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
A cool article re.: the beginnnings of md'ing in the UK, and legal issues:
Found this interesting article about the laws in Britain, and the historical relations between the archaeologists and md'rs over there. Interesting in that, aside from just looking at the laws as they exist NOW, it has a great look back at the very beginnings of hobbyist md'ing there . For those interested in detecting nostalgia, and its relation to laws, etc....
http://traffickingculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ThomasPhDCh5.pdf
Apparently even though Britain is often-times seen NOW as "md'r friendly", yet .... at one one time, (very early 1970s), it almost didn't lead up to being that way. They had a very "close call", as there appears to have been an early effort to seriously clamp down, if not out-law, md'ing at one time. A very interesting read.
Here's one particular quote:
" .... Metal detecting was attracting substantial publicity by 1969, including in local newspapers and through a number of articles in The Times (de Cardi, c.1970: 1). Purchasers of metal detectors were writing to museums, professors and others, keen to gain advice from archaeologists on where to find items of interest with their machines. These developments led the CBA to undertake a nationwide survey to audit the extent of all types of treasure hunting, metal detecting included..... "
After this quote, it went on to detail dire sounding efforts to squash or limit md'ing (thank goodness it wasn't successful!
) But this quote is revealing to a psychology I've often harped on, seen here at a national scale: Sometimes the less visibility ... the better. I realize that in this particular case, it wasn't "md'rs going and asking permission where it wasn't needed" (which "puts detecting on people's radars"). In this case it had a different twist: Mere research to find old spots to detect. But the end effect is about the same: the subject/question of md'ing landing on archie's desks BY WHATEVER MEANS IT GETS THERE, is often not a good thing.
Yes I realize not all archies are "purist" archies, but ..... let's be realistic here......
Found this interesting article about the laws in Britain, and the historical relations between the archaeologists and md'rs over there. Interesting in that, aside from just looking at the laws as they exist NOW, it has a great look back at the very beginnings of hobbyist md'ing there . For those interested in detecting nostalgia, and its relation to laws, etc....
http://traffickingculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ThomasPhDCh5.pdf
Apparently even though Britain is often-times seen NOW as "md'r friendly", yet .... at one one time, (very early 1970s), it almost didn't lead up to being that way. They had a very "close call", as there appears to have been an early effort to seriously clamp down, if not out-law, md'ing at one time. A very interesting read.
Here's one particular quote:
" .... Metal detecting was attracting substantial publicity by 1969, including in local newspapers and through a number of articles in The Times (de Cardi, c.1970: 1). Purchasers of metal detectors were writing to museums, professors and others, keen to gain advice from archaeologists on where to find items of interest with their machines. These developments led the CBA to undertake a nationwide survey to audit the extent of all types of treasure hunting, metal detecting included..... "
After this quote, it went on to detail dire sounding efforts to squash or limit md'ing (thank goodness it wasn't successful!
) But this quote is revealing to a psychology I've often harped on, seen here at a national scale: Sometimes the less visibility ... the better. I realize that in this particular case, it wasn't "md'rs going and asking permission where it wasn't needed" (which "puts detecting on people's radars"). In this case it had a different twist: Mere research to find old spots to detect. But the end effect is about the same: the subject/question of md'ing landing on archie's desks BY WHATEVER MEANS IT GETS THERE, is often not a good thing. Yes I realize not all archies are "purist" archies, but ..... let's be realistic here......
