Focus on UK metal Detecting: Holedigger Pete Looking for a Real Man

"Holedigger Pete" (Chairman of the "Medway History Finders" and Trashers) wrote:

Christina is your real name Paul Barford [?], sort of stuff he would write lol

Christina, an archaeologist, had written a comment under the Kent Mercury article about the "A20" Medway-Finders-Trashed Anglo-Saxon Grave (aka the "Sweetman Hoard") to the effect that "the pieces of metal on an archaeological site are only a part of the story and are far more valuable if they are found during a controlled excavation with close attention to context, stratigraphy and environmental study. Those objects stayed safe underground for over 1,000 years until they were disturbed".

Not Best Practice by anybody's standards, Medway History Trashing in progress (Kent Mercury)

"Holedigger Pete" had no answer to that, except what we see above. I thought though I would try and get some more substantive reply from the metal detectorist than his empty-headed "LOL":

Paul Barford here. No, Paul Barford is not "Christina". Why would Paul Barford write under an assumed name? That hole you dug, Mr Holedigger, is a disgrace. Look at the photos, complete bedlam. Is that your idea (or the BM's) of "best detecting practice"? Christina and the rest of the British public fork out millions of pounds to try and educate finders like your club members to do things properly, and LOOK at the effects. A total waste of public money. In almost any other country of the world, you'd get locked up for such wanton trashing of archaeological sites to hoik out a few artefacts (which is NOT saving history). "It's legal innit" does NOT make it right to trash archaeology for selfish gain and personal entertainment. Paul Barford

"Holedigger Pete" did not bother to refute any of that. The "Medway History Finder" with full apostrophe abuse instead casts doubt on my gender:

Paul Barford, you[']r[e] a very sad man[,] that[']s if you are a man[.] Christina, i have no time for people like you [I] bet you[']r[e] friends with Chigargo [sic] Ron[,] another one who thinks he knows it all. Get a life.

"Chicago Ron" is a metal detecting fireman who's a good deal more interesting than Holedigger. At least he can spell. The points I made about the ethics of digging into an archaeological feature like this, the issues of what is and what is not "best practice", the total lack of effect of the multi-million pound PAS on detecting practice even in Kent, and why he thinks hoiking loose finds is in any way "finding (let alone saving) history" remain unaddressed by this smug, complacent individual.  

TAKE A GOOD LOOK at this behaviour, for these are precisely the sort of people the PAS wants to grab more and more millions of public quid to make into the "partners" of the British Museum, archaeological heritage professionals and to whom they want us all to entrust the exploitation of the archaeological record. Take a good look and decide what you think about that as a "policy".

ADDENDUM 26.02.14 Focus on UK Metal Detecting, "Holedigger pete" Frows Down Challinge

"Holedigger pete" gets personal and suggests I now live in Poland because "you[']r[e] not liked in the UK by a lot of people as i can see[,] even by your own people[,] who have told me you are nuts" (25-02-2014 11:04:41). He goes on to throw down a semi-literate challenge:

You should try and work with us instead of slagging us of[f]. Next time your over here we should have a meeting and have a chat on film[,] that way you can show your true colours. 

Yes, let's do that, let you and I meet on the site of this trashed grave after the archaeologists get their report out. Let's have the FLO there representing the BM (who you claim said you did the right thing), let's have Andrew Mayfield (the community archaeologist for Kent, the co-director of the dig in question in which he was happily rubbing shoulders with your members after the event). You bring one of the archaeologists who say I am "nuts", so he can say it to my face, on film. I will bring my own cameraman  plus one independent archaeologist of my choice and some screenshots from the disturbing video I discussed. Yes, let's have a proper discussion of this on film.

Then I think I'd drive up to Crosby Garrett and make a second one.