by The HRGS' Phil Talbot

About me
I became interested in metal detecting in the early 70s when I built my first metal detector. This machine, although a great triumph to my practical electronics skills found nothing that was more than one inch below the surface. I quickly lost interest!

In the early 80s I got interested again and things had moved on in the detector world with machines capable of finding metal objects in excess of 6 inches below the surface and were also able to discriminate what metal it was. I was hooked again.

I took on the job of Chairman of the local detecting club and with two other colleagues from other clubs we came under the umbrella of the National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD) and went on to form the Southern Region which covered Kent, Surrey, Sussex and other Home counties.

The Kent Archaeology and Detecting Liaison Group (KADLG)
We formed a liaison group back in the early 80s with the very forward thinking Kent County Archaeologist, John Williams and worked for years with him and his department assisting on archaeological digs around Kent. During this time I was asked to sit on the selection committee for the appointment of the Finds Liaison Officer which is an indication of the type of respect we had earned.

When a vast housing development was proposed on the outskirts of Ashford around 40 metal detectorists were requested to carry out a prospective search of the site where hundreds of coins and artefacts were eventually found. This was carried out in light of the recent raids on archaeological digs by 'nighthawks' who are people who go out at night raiding dig sites. Over the following years the respect between the groups grew and we covered many dig sites offering our services free to the archaeologists.

Searching for lost personal items and parts of farm implements was also a service we offered free of charge and again we were requested to search many times. Local clubs still offer this service to anybody.

Forging respect and trust
I'm sure the great liaison between archaeology and detecting in Kent and Norfolk went a long way towards the development of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the review and subsequent replacement of the old Treasure Trove law, now the Treasure Act 1996. In our positions on the National Council we were active in meetings with the government and were consulted on many topics before the implementation of these new government statutes.

We strived to make detecting a responsible hobby and still do, continuing to have meetings with government departments from time to time. Many hobbies have an element that tends to tarnish all others that participate in it by their failure to follow rules and in some cases the law, but we have tried reasonably successfully to alienate these individuals so they do not populate our club memberships.

In the last 6-8 years we formed a group called KAMDSU (Kent Archaeology and Metal Detecting Support Unit), which offers assistance to professional archaeological groups who are carrying out excavations on sites due for development.

We have worked well together in the past and will continue to assist archaeology in any way we can!