Britain (specifically England) is seen as a beacon by metal detectorists from other parts of Europe. This is not surprising given its (seemingly) liberal attitude towards detecting in contrast to elsewhere, where the hobby is generally prohibited or restricted due to (very real) concerns about its potential impact on heritage. Although archaeologists in the UK are not universally positive about metal-detecting, a general view has evolved that it is better to work with the detecting community than not. This, alongside changes to the law through the implementation of the Treasure Act 1996, led to the establishment of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), a project to record archaeological objects found by the public. Archaeologists and others generally see the PAS as a success – its database now contains over 1.8 million finds made by the public, many of which would not have otherwise been recorded, and the data is helping to reshape knowledge of Britain’s past.

In this talk, Michael Lewis, Head of the PAS, will introduce the PAS and the law in the UK. He will demonstrate its success, but also the limitations of the English approach.