Milly, 13, detects Bronze Age axe hoard on just her third expedition
Schoolgirl becomes instant celebrity in metal detector community after thrilling find of ancient weapons
A TEENAGER has struck gold – or rather, bronze – on just her third metal detecting dig after picking up the hobby in the summer holidays.
Milly Hardwick, 13, discovered a “once in a lifetime” Bronze Age hoard of axes and blades in a field near Royston in Hertfordshire in September.
Her beginner’s luck has earned her the respect of fellow metal detectorists, and what could be a princely windfall.
After detecting a signal on the dig, organised by the Woburn Detecting Store, she asked her father, Colin, to listen and joked: “What if it’s an axe head?” They found 21 items between them, prompting archaeologists to come and evaluate the site. By the time the dig was complete, the haul totalled 65 artefacts dating back to 1300BC.
Milly has gained recognition for her find, saying: “Last Sunday when we were out, someone stopped and looked at me and said, ‘Are you the one that found the axe hoard?’”
Her mother Claire said: “A lot of people have said it’s a once in a lifetime find.
The other metal detectorists are really pleased for her.” She went on: “She doesn’t want to get the mickey taken out of her at school, as it is not exactly a cool hobby. But it hasn’t gone to her head. I’m so so proud of her.”
Mrs Hardwick added that while neither she nor her son have any interest in the hobby, her husband persuaded Milly to join him on a dig after starting metal detecting four years ago.
“Her dad had been asking her to go out with him for a few months and eventually she said yes, and loved it.”
Milly said: “Whenever I go out, I find stuff. I’ve found a gold-plated button and a Queen Elizabeth coin.
“It’s nice to be in a field for hours, and you get a signal and it could literally be anything.”
To go on a dig, you must be part of a club with insurance. The Treasure Act 1996 requires all finds that are legally defined as treasure to be declared to a local coroner or the police within 14 days. Night hawkers rarely declare their finds due to the method of acquisition. Breaching this law can result in a £5,000 fine, a term of imprisonment up to three months or both.
More than 6,000 finds were reported to the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme for uncovered items between March and May, as a result of lockdown seeing more people investigate their families’ personal plots.