Ironbridge Senior Archaeologist Speaks out

Talking to a metal detectorist on an archaeological forum, Ironbridge Gorge Museum senior industrial archaeologist Paul Belford assures him:

There really isn't an "English Snobby Archaeo Mentality". Really. Honestly. Yes, some people in Poland might be snotty, but the rest of us are very happy to hear about all of your findings,

Yeah, I bet "the rest of you" are. You are quite right there are lots of professional archaeologists here in Poland (and several other countries too) that are puzzled over why you British archaeologists are pandering to artefact hunters and collectors and thus copping out on your responsibilities towards the archaeological record. Entering into a "partnership" with artefact hunters seems to a lot of us outside the UK to be a very strange way to "manage" what's left of the British archaeological record.

So this decontextualised York coin of some king or other recorded on the UK Detector Finds database ("site run by detectorists for detectorists") you are suddenly so "very happy" to hear about, where was it found? "Bedale, Yorkshire" - whoopee, but where in that rather large parish? Dunno, its not reported on UKDFD? Hmmm. What else was found on the same site? Dunno, it's not reported on UKDFD? Hmmm. Found by a Darren Pendleton with his Minelab Explorer II but the record was for some reason created by a "Lance Todd". Wonderful. Enough to make a British archaeologist "very happy". So who are they then? Adherants of the Code of Practice for Responsible metal Detecting in England and wales? Are they - do you know them? Actually if you know what that says from the information currently on the UKDFD page, they don't appear to be do they? (see below). So its the only coin from that reign with that particular moneyer's name on it? Whoopee, I bet that's made everybody's day in Ironbridge. That could change our whole understanding of Britain in the tenth century couldn't it? (Or maybe not really).

Crap photo though isn't it? So its going to be a bit difficult to do a die link study of that one when the coin itself disappears into somebody else's collection without a record where it's gone.

So is this coin recorded elsewhere? Like in the PAS database with a decent photo (as the Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales stipulates), or maybe at the Fitzwilliam? Well, actually - no. No, it is not recorded anywhere else. Does that make you "very happy" too? Broad grins all round the Ironbridge World Heritage Site at the news?

Paul what on earth are you British archaeologists playing at? You are all so "very happy" to hear that collectors are running about in the cultural landscape somewhere or other finding isolated coins and other goodies, all of which they take away with minimal record from their position in the archaeological record, but some of which they nicely let the archaeologists fondle too - but only if they do not ask too many questions where it came from and what it was found with and pat them on the head and thank them for denuding sites of all their collectable ancient metalwork. Pathetic.

Is that "snotty" enough for you Paul?

I really do not think it is me who has to explain himself in the circumstances. What is going on in England is just completely and utterly nuts.

Paul, if you agree, I am going to add you to the review list of my book, and I hope after reading it you will tell the readers of the "Journal of the Telford Industrial Archaeology and Bottle-Diggers Association" (or wherever) why you are still "very happy" to work with artefact hunters and why you dismiss what is written there as "snottiness with tables and footnotes". I am sure the metal detectorists with whom you and your treasure-hunter-loving British archaeological mates are such good pals will be delighted.