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It was "historic" said the press release. For once, the word was accurate. The Code of Practice on Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales published last month was not the first but it was the one that matters. It signals an end to the decades-long wrangle over the legitimacy of the hobby. It turned out to be a remarkable document. A critical mass of key bodies has said "THIS is what Responsible Detecting means!" It is significant as much for who said it is as what they said. The document suggests nothing new, just plain common sense resource protection practices that responsible detectorists already do without the least complaint!  It's hard not to support it and nearly everyone will.

The other detectorists have been hoist by their own petard. Having always claimed a right to act how they like, the Code offers them exactly that!  It isn't mandatory; it's just an opinion, so those who wish to are free to disagree and to continue to "self-determine the common resource". The only change is that they'll now find it very hard to credibly claim what they do is right - they are just one seventy thousandth of the population and have just been out-gunned and out voted by representatives of all the rest.

Nevertheless, resistance is evident. Some have attempted to "interpret" the code beyond its plain meaning. Others describe it as "undemocratic" because "not every member of the main detectorists body was consulted" (as if that changes the validity of what it says! ). In truth, its meaning is clear and even if no detectorist had signed, it would still be authoritative and widely supported. One group has quickly written their own opposition code (no prizes for guessing what sort of responsibility that lays out, or which of the two codes will carry weight and which won't! ). Whose opinion on resource conservation would you trust, dear reader? One openly billed as "suited to detectorists" (and which can't even bring itself to say all finds should be reported to PAS), or one signed by the likes of The British Museum, English Heritage, the Council for British Archaeology, the Society of Museum Archaeologists, the Portable Antiquities Scheme... (the list goes on! ).

To hastily write your own code (having never bothered before) is hardly convincing. Especially if it's billed as "suited to detectorists" and adopted by the vote of a few hundred random members of a detectorists internet forum. Most telling of all is the fact that a simple "no" would have sufficed. People worked through the night to produce it (we are told). It looks very much like a hasty means to enable those who like to say "no" to wear a badge that pretends to say "yes". Farmers and landowners beware!

The official Code has been agreed by representatives of all the main stakeholders and widely welcomed, so it appears to be here to stay and is unlikely to be usurped, unwritten, discredited or watered down. Indeed, why should conservation be compromised? The onus is not upon society to modify its opinion, it is upon irresponsible detectorists to act in the way their responsible colleagues find easy.

So the effect of the official Code has been to highlight the divide within the hobby. Responsible hobbyists will conform to it since it merely reflects what they already do, and they may welcome the recognition and unclouded clarity it lends to their position. The others, who reject it, must expect to be seen clearly as takers not givers. We suspect that it can be taken as a signal that responsible detecting is now fully accepted and here to stay whereas perhaps an opposite message is being sent to the rest. In any case, it is a significant step since it dispels the fog that bedevilled the decades-long "metal detecting debate". There is now a means to distinguish halos from half halos and false halos. What is truly responsible is now beyond debate.  Who is truly responsible is about to become very clear.

Ideally, every detectorist will now rapidly embrace the official Code and play fair with society.. See how the public can help this process. In the words of a contributor to our common inheritance (to whose manuscripts, fortunately, no-one secretly helped themselves... )
'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.'


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The Nine Stones of Winterbourne Abbas have yet again been damaged with graffiti. A visit on 28/5/6 by Heritage Action site inspector Jamie Stone found a 3 foot high swastika on the large stone closest to the road. This was clearly visible despite what appears to be someone elses valiant attempt to remove it.

Photo: Jamie Stone

Fortunately, as of 3rd June, the swastika has now gone, presumably removed by another visitor to the site. We are trying to establish the frequency of abuse at this site as there have been a number of attacks dating back at least 2 years.

If you have visited and seen graffiti at the site, or if you have any other infomation relating to this please email Jamie at:
jamie.stone@heritageaction.org.