Some Aspects of the Collection-Driven Exploitation of the Archaeological Record in England and Wales

This paper addresses some issues relating to collection-driven exploitation of the archaeological record (artefact hunting) in England and Wales. It looks at who the collectors involved are and why they do it, how they go about finding and searching sites for collectables, and what they do with them. A brief overview of the UK online trade in dug-up antiquities is also given, and the response of British archaeology to the phenomenon. The effects of the introduction of new legislation (the 1996 ‘Treasure Act’) together with a dedicated and centralised recording scheme for finds made by the public are discussed. The relationship between collecting and archaeological research, together with archaeological attitudes towards collectors are also explored, in particular the issue of the degree to which the recording of material voluntarily reported by artefact hunters creates useful archaeological data. It is shown that the manner by which this information has been collected severely limits its use for many archaeological purposes.