Finders keepers at museum!

9:11am Monday 27th August 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A MUSEUM is offering people the chance to identify intriguing objects they have found while gardening, walking or metal detecting.

Bradford on Avon Museum is holding a Finds Day in the town library from 10-4pm on September 29 for members of the public to bring in their mysterious archaeological finds.

On hand to identify the objects will be Roger Clark, honorary curator of the museum, and Katie Hinds, finds liaison officer at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.

Mervyn Harris, honorary chairman of the museum which is also celebrating its 17th anniversary, said: "Bradford on Avon has an amazingly rich archaeological past and we often hear from people who have dug up interesting finds in their gardens or found items whilst out walking.

"In recent years all manner of fascinating archaeological finds have turned up including flint tools, fragments of pottery from the Roman and medieval periods, a section of Roman column and even a rare Roman relief that is now on display at the museum."

Recent objects that have been unearthed in Wiltshire and brought into finds days elsewhere in the county have included part of a 2nd century Roman Dragonesque brooch, something usually only found in the north of England, a fragment of a late Iron Age armlet and a rare 4th century gold coin of Licinius I.

Tracey Williams, from Winsley, found a rare piece of jewellery in her garden just last month.

She said: "My daughter had been planting lavender and it had rained and washed away some of the soil when we noticed a ring."

The ring has been identified as a medieval copper alloy finger ring that would probably have been worn by a man.

It has been dated to between 1485-1600 and the rose and crowned heart in the centre has been connected with Richard III and the Yorkists.

Katie Hinds said: "It is just possible that the rose represents Yorkist or Richard III connections or support and would have been worn on the inside of the finger to hide this from view, in which case it could be a mourning ring."

The ring will be listed on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, as will anything pre-1700 or of particular historical interest that turns up on the Finds Day.

Visit www.finds.org.uk for more details.