Central Searchers Dislikes Breeches and Will Avoid Them in Future

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The metal detecting group Central Searchers had put out an announcement that they were going to search ridge and furrow and were criticised by Heritage Action and others for it. It seems that these people clearly still really do not understand why their actions raised concern. I wonder if all else fails, whether the PAS will explain it to them? Meanwhile, just to make sure there will be no further open discussion of what they are up to these people announce on their website...

“From now on Dig Details will be a limited brief description of the site so these sort of allegations can not be copied and used in a slanderous way against the club or club members this is in the interest of protecting our members and sites from such groups [...]”.

So they will keep the details secret to "protect" themselves against being discussed? So what happened to that "transparency" other collectors are wanting? Why, actually can one not discuss openly where commercial artefact rallies are being held in the UK? Is this not in the public interest? What do the PAS say about this then? Is the problem in fact that if groups like Heritage Action say "hang on a minute, is that a suitable location for a commercial rally?" some people who might fork out money to go (it is a commercial event after all) might have second thoughts ("hang on, IS that a suitable place for responsible artefact hunters like me to be going to a commercial artefact hunting rally?").

 
So Central Searchers goes underground, making it yet another of those secretive organizations whose members feel they have to hide away in shame from scrutiny. In fact they have always been underground, reference to past posts here record what happened when I tried to register with this secret organization's forum to find out more about a Treasure find (Cold Brayfield) that was being (shock horror, actually being) discussed. I was banned before I could even gain access to ask a single question of these "heritage heroes". So much for transparency then, eh?

 
Let us note that these people state that the organization of a commercial treasure hunt here was ethical and above board because “as always a Finds Liaison Officer has an open invite to any of these sites to record anything that comes off". But that is not what the PAS Code of practice for commercial metal detecting rallies says should be the basis of the collaboration ("partnership") of PAS with their organizers.

Anyway Richard and Gill Evans from Wellingborough (owners of said group) seem to be on the warpath, there's a thread over on a detecting forum about their doings being mentioned on "a certain Mr Barford's blog". They forgot to mention that it is called "Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues" - are they such horrific words to utter among responsible artefact hunters, I wonder? Anyhow they are seeking legal advice it seems. Good for them, let them find out what fair use and in the public interest consists of. Maybe their solicitor will read bits of this blog and decide whether he wants to represent such people as hide away on a secret forum. Anyway to stop people from being told what they are up to they have now added this to their website:

ALL CONTENT ON THIS AND ASSOCIATED WEB SITES IS
PROPERTY OF RICHARD AND GILL EVANS OWNERS OF CENTRAL SEARCHERS. NO CONTENT MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION, DOING THIS IS A BREECH OF COPYRIGHT.

The word, dear Mr and Mrs Evans is "breach", as in "once more unto the breach..." (breeches are a kind of trousers as anyone in the UK who went to skool shuld no).

By the way "Big Mick" (apparently a central Searcher unafraid of the Black Helicopters) need not send his illiterate threatening comments to this blog, his messages will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.

Vignettes: The difference between breeches and breaches.
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