It was a lovely pre-Christmas treat when my signed copy of ’50 Finds of Cheshire’ dropped through the letterbox. Written by Vanessa Oakden, the Finds Liaison Officer for Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the book presents fifty of the most interesting artefacts to be found in Cheshire and reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) since 2004. The fifty finds or groups of finds were selected by the author to represent Cheshire’s rich and lengthy heritage.
The book begins with a foreword from Dr Michael Lewis, Head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, explaining the importance of stray and detected finds and their recording by the Scheme to help piece together our understanding of the past. The chapters then run chronologically from the Neolithic to the Post Medieval period. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the period in regards to Cheshire as a region. The finds are then presented in a coherent and accessible manner. For each find the author gives details of the object type, its date, when and where it was discovered, and a record number so the reader can go online to the PAS database for more information. Each object is also represented with colour photographs and a blurb describing the object and its significance.
It is no surprise to find that the Roman chapter is significantly longer than others. This is in part due to the affluence of Cheshire in this period, but also due to the discovery of five new Roman hoards since 2012. This number of discoveries in such as short space of time reflects how active detectorists are in England and stresses the importance of accurate and professional recording through the PAS.
I was lucky enough be involved in the recovery of two of these Roman hoards. In 2012 a detectorist quickly contacted Vanessa Oakden and a team was brought out to excavate and retrieve what became known as the Knutsford Hoard; comprising Roman silver and copper coins, silver trumpet brooches, finger rings, and fragments of a ceramic vessel. It was such a thrill to see coin upon coin be extracted from the soil, most in extremely good condition even after being buried for over 1800 years.
In 2015 I was also able to attend the excavation of the Peover Hoard, where 1,000s of 3rd century copper alloy radiates had been deposited in a storage vessel, most of which was intact apart from the very top of the vessel which had been clipped by the plough. The vessel was meticulously excavated under controlled conditions at the British Museum and the images contained in the book reflect the intricacy of the recovery and conservation techniques.
This publication is an accessible and enticing read into Cheshire’s past with the added bonus of the plentiful colour images throughout. The reader will pick up on the fact that many artefacts and aspects of Cheshire’s rich archaeological heritage would have not be recovered, recorded, or fully understood if it wasn’t for the work of responsible dedicated detectorists and Finds Liaison Officers.
Oakden, V (2015) 50 Finds from Cheshire; objects from the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Amberley, Stroud.
50 Finds from Cheshire is available to buy from the following outlets: Museum of Liverpool, Grosvenor Museum, Chester Tourist Information, Chester Archives Service, Weaver Hall Museum Northwich, Lion Salt Works Northwich, Congleton Museum, Congleton Tourist Information, Nantwich Bookshop Manchester Museum, WH Smiths (Cheshire stores), and online on www.amazon.co.uk and from www.amberley-books.com.
