A 15-year-old girl found a nearly two-thousand-year-old Roman ring, a 13-year-old found a bronze depot

Jessica Millington found a 3rd century Roman silver ring with a red carnelian in August 2020. It depicts Nemesis, the goddess of righteous retribution. She is one of the next successful finders of the new emerging generation of British detectorists.

"At first it was just a faint signal at the edge of the range. We had to dig about 15cm under the stone to find what the metal detector picked up," said Miss Millington, who made the find in the presence of her father. "Once the ring passes the treasure approval process, I would like to donate it to the museum to be displayed for the public and shared with others. Its history is more important than any monetary value," Jessica said.

The girl is part of a promising generation of young detectorists who are increasingly finding lost history on British soil. They know that the search is governed by clear rules and laws. Successful treasure hunters reap more than just a fortune in rewards: "For us, the most interesting part of history is what we have been able to discover ourselves. It's what made it possible for us to be the first people to touch the ring in almost 2,000 years," said Miss Millington.

Jessica is not alone in her success. Last September, another budding detectorist made the find of a lifetime in the form of a large assemblage of Bronze Age axes and blades in a field near Royston in Hertfordshire. Then 13-year-old Year 8 pupil Milly Hardwick discovered the treasure on only her third search. Together with her father, they initially uncovered 21 artefacts. Archaeologists subsequently unearthed 44 more objects. "Whenever I go out, I find things. I found a gold-plated button and a Queen Elizabeth coin. It's nice to be out in the field for hours. If you get a signal, it could be literally anything," Milly Hardwick said at the time.

Interest in metal detecting has grown in recent years. Especially since the first lockdown in 2020. Last year's film The Dig, telling the story of archaeologist Basil Brown and the discovery of the 1939 treasure ship Sutton Hoo, has also inspired a new wave of enthusiasts. In the last year alone, the government has recorded over 47,000 archaeological finds in England and Wales, with more than 6,000 artefacts reported to the British Museum's PAS programme between March and May.

Although the vast majority of detectorists never find the actual treasure, they see the search as an interesting hobby. Anyone who finds a metal object in England, Wales or Northern Ireland that is at least 300 years old is legally obliged to report it under the Treasure Act. Objects less than 300 years old, made mainly of gold or silver, deliberately hidden behind afor the purpose of retrieval, whose owners or heirs are unknown, must also be notified: "There are a lot of complicated rules, so my advice to anyone starting out in this hobby is to join a society or council," explained Miss Millington.

Detective societies always follow two golden rules: No unauthorized searches and respect for land ownership. All finds that are legally designated as treasure must also be reported to the local coroner within 14 days of discovery, according to the Treasure Act. Breaches of the law can result in a fine of £5,000, imprisonment for up to three months, or both.

Treasure always belongs to the Crown, not the finder or landowner. However, the custom is to apply the "ex gratia" rule, the subsequent reward can be significant. For example, in December last year two Jersey detectorists received a share of £4.25 million for finding 70,000 Iron Age coins. This is, of course, the exception. Most detectorists agree that the greatest reward is the chance to uncover a forgotten piece of history...

Roman Nemec
Sources: telegraph.co.uk, bbc.co.uk, cbc.ca

A Roman silver ring from the 3rd century.

Archaeologists document set of bronze axes in situ

Part of the Milly bronze set

Jessica Millington

Milly Hardwick