An Update from Prof. Michael Lewis, Head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme

Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone who recorded finds with the Portable AntiquitiesScheme(PAS)in2022. Itwasanotherproductive year, with over 53,000 finds being recorded by the Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs), their assistants, interns and volunteers – the volunteers included detectorist ‘selfrecorders’ who logged almost 2000 finds on the PAS database. 2022 was also a bumper year for Treasure reporting, with almost 1,300 cases from England alone.

I hope many of you enjoyed seeing Mackenzie Crook’s Detectorists on Boxing Day. I was really pleased to see the PAS highlighted. I think the message was very clear – if you want your finds to contribute to Britain’s history, they need to be recorded. But we need your help to do this.

It is estimated that there are over 40,000 detectorists in the UK, and we have limited resources (a team of 40 FLOs) to record all these finds. That means it will take time, so please be patient – FLOs should be able to tell you how long this will take. Also, detectorists can help by providing information (good photographs and findspot) information to help PAS staff make good records – your local FLO will be able to explain what they need.

From time to time there are vacancies across the PAS. Also, people might be on leave or unwell. So if anyone has any difficulty contacting their local FLO please contact me directly (mlewis@britishmuseum.org) or the British Museum treasure team (treasure@britishmuseum.org) if it is in relation to a Treasure case. I know all the FLOs are working really hard, even if now and again things do not go to plan.

Following the recent ‘spending review’, the PAS has been given more money by the Government (DCMS) to invest in more staff. With this, we have been able to up the hours of part-time staff and fund Finds Liaison Assistants (FLAs) in many of the busiest areas. Also, the DCMS is supporting the development of the PAS Database. This will allow us to make the most of new digital technology to (hopefully) record more finds.

I am also keen that we work with the detecting community to build our network of self-recorders and other detectorist volunteers. If you are interested in working more closely with the PAS please talk to your local FLO.

We are also looking to build a Treasure Tracking System as part of the new PAS database so that finders can follow their cases through the Treasure process. As finders of Treasure will know, this process can take time - especially if a find needs conservation or scientific study. It is also the case that museums will need time to raise the funds to acquire Treasure.

It is right that the most important finds are acquired by museums for the benefit of all, and anything we can do to make the process more efficient will be welcomed by everyone involved.