UK Metal Detectorists, Mentally a Breed Apart

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A person, presumably a metal detector user, calling themself "Countrywide" has recently published on yet another of those pseudo-Barford blogs ("Paul Barford Antiquities and Heritage Issues") a text which is one of the latest in a whole series of baseless allegations on that webpage. This new one is called: 'Paul Barford and his partners in crime', Monday, 11 February 2013. The latest text concludes with these words, presumably addressed to myself:

If you don't like what I have written then may I suggest you get yourself a good Solicitor and sue me for liabel, which is slightly pointless as I have all the evidence I need.

It is of course only a coward who, writing under an assumed name, challenges somebody to sue him. Seemingly, this individual imagines that I would in some way be touched by his false accusation of my alleged participation in criminal activity in this latest post. I invite my readers to examine what he or she says and decide for themselves if one of us is a criminal, or the other a complete buffoon lost in a world of fantasy.

The matter concerns a video which rabidly anti-archaeological artefact hunter and collector Steve Taylor posted on You Tube (it was later deleted/hidden). He filmed archaeologists at work excavating a hoard findspot near Poulton. The intent of his patronisingly supercilious comments in that sneering voice of his was to denigrate the archaeologists which he filmed. I wrote a blog post back in July 2011 (subsequently hidden due to Mr Taylor objecting to my use of screenshots from his video) pointing out that the film and its commentary also explicitly revealed the findspot of the  "Poulton" Hoard. Despite what "Countrywide" suggests, I did not myself give that location. The latter goes on to allege that it is somehow my fault that "two local lads who were also known nighthawks" had also identified the site from the information supplied by Taylor's video. Reportedly (according to "Countrywide"):

Three months later these two nighthawks were caught by the gamekeeper on the hoard field detecting and digging holes. They were ordered off and the details passed onto the local police. 

This "Countrywide" then goes on to accuse me (for commenting on Taylor's video, you understand) of being an "aider and abettor of a crime" committed in October 2011, and on that basis hints that he or she will "see you in court soon Paul!" I can only add that to be charged of accessory to a crime, there has to be a crime. In October 2011, a farm worker passed what he says are the "details" (what details?) of two people he alleges were trespassing on his employer's land. No mention is made of securing items stolen, so any charges could only refer to trespass. Have law enforcement authorities in Cheltenham charged these two individuals with criminal trespass on the basis of that information, and if so, why only now? "Countrywide" neglects to add that detail to his or her text.

So, is Paul Barford a "criminal" or is "Countrywide" a buffoon? I'd say the case for the latter is strengthened by the fact that the very same post appears on another pseudo-Barford blog, except on this one it is "Paul Barford" himself that is the alleged author of the post ("Paul Barford on the Wrong Side of the Law")! UK metal detectorists, some of them really are mentally a breed apart.

It is not of course on the wrong side of the law to publish a church guidebook saying what objects the sacristy contains. What is against the law is to go to the church with a jemmy and use that freely-available information to steal those objects. That's what we call heritage crime. Its criminals who have equipment for conducting criminal activity that commit a crime. Now what about artefact hunters who read an archaeological report or survey, find out where all the Roman sites are, and taking their metal detectors target them for coins and other collectables? Is it being the "wrong side of the law" to publish archaeological surveys showing where sites are in the landscape (see also ARCHI)?  Or in publishing such information are we trusting PAS-partners with metal detectors not to head straight for them to empty them of the archaeological evidence? Reportedly (but see the post below this deriving from "Countrywide's" challenge), "the majority of metal detectorists" are responsible, and responsible partners do not do things like that. So why would a metal detectorist of all people think it would be in any way being "the wrong side of the law" to discuss the location of archaeological sites in Great Britain?

Vignette: Countrywide CEO

UPDATE  17th Feb 2013
As usual there is no point in trying to discuss anything with these people, this "Countrywide" has now changed his or her name again on one of the blogs to which I refer [to "Paul Scumbag Barford"] and added in a whole confusion of other stuff to the original text, ranting about copyright and other stuff unrelated to the original false accusation. It seems some folk have problems focussing their thoughts and sticking to their story. See my comments.  Take a good look at what this individual represents. These are the kinds of folk that the PAS wants to grab another few million pounds to try to make into "partners" and to entrust the curation of part of Britain's archaeological heritage.