Have you ever stood with your detector ready on the edge of a Medieval field, with a huge Tudor House on its edge, and the remains of an early Medieval Village, with only the House banks left to see below it, by a fast running stream, I am lucky to say that I have by invitation of the owner whose family built the house. The field was situated opposite the courtyard of the Tudor House, and so must have been used by many, as this was the way into house by all visitors wealthy and poor, I could not wait to get started on this field, what might I find?
I am sure that many of you have felt the same on the edge of a field with some history, with the thought what is out there waiting for me, and what follows in my story up to a point, you may have had the same results.
I remember my first visit to the field, I would search in divisions across the field, working down towards the house, the field was not large, about ten acres, the finds did not come very fast, but by the time I had finished half of the field it was things like assorted buckles horse shoes and rubbish.
The second half of the field towards the big house was a little better, with two iron medieval stirrups not a pair, and more early medieval buckles, a strap end and thimble, I searched this field many times over the next five weeks with no finds to speak of i kept thinking that there should have been more, in the end I gave up, this the point that I referred to earlier, where we have all been, now this what happened to me in the following month, that field would not leave my mind, I could not stop thinking about it, so I decided to revisit, I arrived at the field early morning, with my dog Sandy, the night before it had rained heavy, and the sun was hiding behind a thin mist, I set up my CTX 3030, picked up my spade, and starting from the bottom of the field, nearest to the house, I started off, swinging my coil slow and level above the tufted grass, with Sandy walking behind, and to the side, I had gone no more than thirty yards when I got a really strong signal, I pinpointed her, and took my spade, and cut a circle about fourteen inches diameter by eight inches deep around the signal, I lifted this huge tuft of grass and soil out in one go, my pro find told me that the find was still in the hole, using a trowel I cut round the signal in my hole, and found that I had to go down another four inches, I lifted the clod of soil out and it fell open to reveal the most fantastic medieval seal matrix, I shouted I knew it! I knew it! and kissed my dog!
Remember, Revisit!
Tom – England, UK
