Welcome to Our Past History
This website contains a comprehensive guide to responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales as well as some history and archaeology from England, Scotland and Wales.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme funding is at risk - see here for more information and to see how you can help
This web site is archived by the UK Web Archiving Consortium, consisting of the British Library, The National Library of Wales, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, JISC, The National Archive, The National Library of Scotland and The Wellcome Trust at:
http://www.webarchive.org.uk/index.html
Metal Detecting
I’ve only been detecting for a couple of years or so, but before that, when I was looking into the pro’s and con’s of taking up this hobby, I found it very hard to find any comprehensive information online on detecting in the UK – especially for beginners like me!
I had joined various detecting forums but the advice given to beginners was diverse and confusing. There are also lots of enthusiast’s websites, but mainly from the USA and these were not really relevant to the detecting situation in this country. I also spent a bit of time going to various detecting rallies to really see if this was really what I wanted to do and what type of people these detectorists really were.
It was at two of these rallies that I bumped into staff of the Portable Antiquities Scheme – who were there recording finds made on the day. I decided to build a website for people like myself who wanted to detect, but wanted to have the knowledge to be able to do it in a responsible way by recording finds with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, detecting in a way that did not cause any damage to underlying archaeology below the plough soil and recording an accurate findspot using GPS.
Once I had taken the plunge and bought a detector, I joined a local detecting club in Colchester which gave me access to various “club sites” to detect on and also membership of the National Council for Metal Detecting which provided me with insurance cover.
On one of these "club sites" I bumped into a gentle giant of a man detecting alone by the name of Terry who was a massive help to me as a beginner. From then onwards Terry and I have detected together most Sundays – normally on one farm in Essex where we have thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about the history of the area and sharing this information with the landowner – and the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
The majority of our finds are returned to the landowner after recording, as he is very interested in the history of his land.
We both record all of our finds with the Portable Antiquities Scheme – even the grotty bits – as they all help us to understand and build a picture of the history of the area we detect in. This includes finds made by eye only too – such as pieces of worked flint, pottery etc.
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Tags: balmerino, battlefields, bibliography, caesar, cantiaci, cathedral, church, corinne, da vinci, detectorists, dvrobrivae, england, metal detecting, metal detecting club, metal detecting rallies, metal detector
St Martin in the Field
St Martin In The Fields is not only the most well known of the parish churches in London, it is probably one of the best known in the world. Thanks to its position overlooking Trafalgar Square, it has appeared in countless paintings and photographs, and its orchestra - the Academy of St Martins - has received global acclaim. Ironically, the building was once concealed from view in St Martins Lane. Only the clearing of the area to the southeast for the construction of Trafalgar Square in 1820 afforded the church its famous vista and prominent position. Although the Oranges and Lemons rhyme 'you owe me five farthings' may refer to the City church of St Martin Orgar ( of which nothing remains but a tower), it is this baroque church in Central London that is the one everybody thinks of. It is believed that the present St Martin is the fourth building on the site. The earliest recorded mention came in 1222, when the Abbot of Westminster disputed the Bishop of London's authority over the church. The Archbishop of Canterbury mediated and decided in favour of the Abbot, so St Martin was probably used by monks from Westminster until 1542, when Henry VIII built a church which was added to in 1609 by Prince Henry, brother of the future Charles I (who was christened here).
In the seventeenth century, with the nearby Whitehall Palace in full use, St Martin became the parish church of the Court, and started to receive notable Jacobean interments. In 1615, Anne Turner was laid to rest here. A Court dressmaker, she had been involved in one of the greatest scandals of James I's court. Sir Thomas Overbury had been poisoned by his enemy, the unstable Frances Howard Countess of Essex, and it had been Anne who had delivered the fatal potion. She was hanged for her troubles. Four years later, St Martin hosted the funeral of the celebrated Nicholas Hilliard, the first true painter of miniatures. Some of his work can be found in the National Portrait Gallery, adjacent to the church.
Following the Restoration, Whitehall resumed its place as the centre of Court. John Taylor, Thames boatman celebrated as the 'Water Poet', was buried here in 1654. Nell Gwynn, actress and probably the most celebrated Royal Mistress in British history, was laid to rest in the chancel following a fatal stroke (1687), and the renowned philosopher /scientist Robert Boyle found his resting place here in 1691. Other notable actors interred here include John Lacy in 1681, Susannah Mountfort Verbruggen in 1703 and her husband John Verbruggen five years later. The artist Thomas Manby was buried in 1695, and the playwright George Farquhar in 1707.
In 1721 the architect James Gibb designed a replacement for the Tudor building. It was consecrated in 1726 and, as the church that stands to this day, has proved extremely influential. Its style has been copied many times since, even abroad in Ireland and North America. However, it was not universally acclaimed at the time; the architect John Gwynn complained that 'the absurd rustication of the windows, and the heavy sills and trusses under them, are unpardonable blemishes'.
People of repute continued to find their way into the churchyard, notably the highwayman and multiple prison escapee Jack Sheppard (1724), Louis Roubiliac the sculptor (1762), Thomas Chippendale the furniture maker (1779) and Dr John Hunter, the pioneer of modern surgery ( 1793). New catacombs were constructed around St Martin's when Duncannon Street was installed as part of John Nash's re-ordering of London, and coffins were exhumed from the yard and removed to the catacombs. They were, for a time, open as a somewhat macabre tourist attraction. In the 1850's, when London churchyards were closed to further burials, Hunter was transferred to Westminster Abbey, but most coffins were transferred to cemeteries outside London, such as the St Martin's extra-parochial ground in Pratt Street, Camden.
The last of the coffins were removed in 1938 to Brookwood in Surrey. The catacombs and the crypt beneath the church serve a variety of purposes, such as the popular 'Cafe In The Crypt', a centre for relief of the homeless, the London Brass Rubbing Centre, a bookshop and a gallery.
From whatever angle the visitor approaches St Martin, one cannot fail to be impressed by its sheer presence. In an area also containing the NPG, Trafalgar Square and the English National Opera House, the church more than holds its own. The facade is one of the best in London. A pediment displaying the Royal Arms of George I ( the only monarch to be a churchwarden of St Martin) is supported by a row of large, solid Corinthian columns. Above the pediment the tower soars, its steeple topped with a gilt crown.
The interior is scarcely less impressive. Columns rise from the galleries to support the barrel-vaulted ceiling, and the ceiling of the chancel is resplendent with gilding. The church has an box pew for the Admiralty (who, at one time, worshipped at St Olaves Hart Street) and it is festooned with the Royal Navy White Ensign and the flag of the Admiralty Board. Based in Whitehall, the Admiralty falls within the parish boundaries and the bells are traditionally rung on the occasion of Naval victories. In the north aisle is a portrait of the architect Gibb. Originally the church owned a bust of Gibb, by Rysbrack, but this is now in the V&A Museum. This year (2004) is the 250th anniversary of Gibb's death and the church has been commemorating him.
Perhaps the most welcome aspect of the interior, in my experience, is that it is truly a haven of peace. I visited during the weekend of the Chinese New Year. Trafalgar and Leicester Squares were holding thousands of visitors, the roads between a constant flow of movement... but I took a few paces away from the bustle, stepped into the cool interior of St Martin and spent a while walking around the nave with admiration. The drums and whistles of the celebration, only a stone's throw away, were muted and unintrusive. I sat on a pew and contemplated the irony that the mighty plaza across the road, with its four stone lions and its soaring monument to our greatest naval hero, is not the real historic gem of this corner of the cityscape...
with thanks to churchwarden Mr Jeff Claxton for further information
Author Mark McManus