Old treasure unearthed by lockdown gardeners
LOCKDOWN gardeners have been digging out our history in a series of backyard finds from Neolithic arrowheads to post-medieval belt hooks and even fossils.
Objects have surfaced from under lawns and flowerbeds as people potter around in their gardens.
Delighted experts are now urging shy gardeners to check whether their discoveries, be they rocks or pipe bowls, are significant.
Peter Reavill, a finds liaison officer, said: “With so many people spending much more time in their gardens there have been some really interesting finds.
“People find stuff all the time, put it on one side and say, ‘That’s interesting, I’ll do something with that’.
“But they’ve had the time now to get in touch and say, ‘I found this. What is it?’ ”
Peter revealed that he has also seen several flowerbed fossils brought to his local museum in Shropshire.
While usually not valuable, they can make an important contribution to regional history.
Lockdown garden finds include belt hooks in Herefordshire, a medieval silver coin in Stoke-on-Trent and an estimated 4th-century rock with some script in Coventry.
A quern used to grind grain from Neolithic or Bronze Age times was found near Bradford, Roman greyware pottery in Wymeswold, Leics, and a Neolithic arrowhead in Chithurst,West Sussex.
Michael Lewis, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, said: “People can be shy about their garden finds.
But we are keen to see what is discovered by the public.”
Our most spectacular garden find was in 2007 when 80 gold US dollar coins were unearthed in Hackney, east London.