A place for the newcomer to find useful information thus
helping them to make a good start in the hobby. Beginners can ask questions
and get replies from more experienced members.
My father in law is a retired farmer and I have free range over the 92 acres. It is being worked by another farmer, it is mainly arable, sometime a few cows and there are some marshes with a small river with two foot bridges. There are also a few styles.
My question is... where would be a good place to start detecting? I have looked on Google earth and can't see anything that sticks out.
When is the best time to detect the 'worked' fields? Now after harvest or when they have been ploughed/rolled and before seeding?
Hi Fellah, first off may I say that, even though your father in law still owns the land, you should seek permission from the new farmer to detect there.
It comes under pretty much the same heading as a tenant farmer/landowner agreement.
As to how to detect it, check for any nearby churches, then look for ancient footpaths crossing
the land, from villages/hamlets, going in the direction of said church. Follow the line of the paths
as far as able, and concentrating on a span of up to six feet either side.
Otherwise, I normally do the perimeter, followed by the two corner to corner routes, and then, work
the field. going from end to end, in steady lines, after which you should crosshatch the field. When
doing the long runs, look for a landmark to walk towards, and the same on the way back.
Doing all of that can be knackering, but, it is very thorough, and, you should not miss much.
Also, try to get a look at old maps of the area, local library or museum ought to be able to
help you.
My detecting buddy and I had a site, where we could see two churches about three miles apart,
There were very clear footpaths over a total of eight fields. Three of which we did not have
permission for, the others produced stuff from Roman through, with Georgian being the main era.
I used to have an issue regarding having an inferiority complex, I no longer have an issue with being inferior.
As a rule, the closer you can get the seachhead to the soil the better. Arable land. Rolled, damp and flat is my preference.
As for where to search. OGJ has given good advice, It would be good to try and find out as much about the area as is possible.
While the internet can offer some info, A trip to a good county library should better provide you with a few areas of historical interest either on or near your land, the information is lying there in dusty reference books or maps so all you need is to show up and ask. Then try and detect as close to those areas as possible (With permission of course). Hope this helps?
