English Heritage has been given £80m in the government's Spending Review as part of plans for the organisation to become a charity. Some of the £80m awarded by the government will help to set up the charity so it will be fully operational by March 2015.
English Heritage and British Museum commission study into illegal metal detecting
English Heritage and the British Museum are so alarmed they have commissioned a £100,000 study into the practice. It could lead to new legislation to combat offenders.
Some information that may be of use to TMA-ers looking at OS maps of England and Wales, from "Field Archaeology - Some Notes For Beginners Issued by the Ordnance Survey" (1963 - Fourth edition), chapter entitled "Tumuli":
"Today the term tumulus is reserved for those earthen mounds either known or presumed to be covering burials. Formerly a class of larger mounds, now known to belong to early medieval castles also received this name in error ..., but now are given their correct technical description or are described as 'Mound' in the appropriate type. All piles of stones are called cairns whether their funerary character is known or not, but the use of an 'antiquity' type will mean that the Survey believes it to be sepulchral. In some very lofty situations it will be obvious that they are not graves. Where a mound has a local name which clearly indicates the belief that it is a burial place the descriptive name tumulus is not added."
Ancient craft is dedicated to the archaeology of primitive crafts and technologies that encompass the three prehistoric ages: STONE; BRONZE and IRON. This includes working with materials such as stone (also known as "flintknapping"), wood, bone, horn, leather, metals and cloth (plant fibres, and wools).
"The Scheme's database holds records of artefacts and coins found by the public, whilst pursuing a wide range of activities (the majority from metal detecting). We do not record details of objects found by archaeologists, and these data can be found within the local Historic Environment Office."
"The half a million objects recorded mark was reached on March 21st 2010."
Stonehenge: Did the stone circle originally stand in Wales?
One of Britain's biggest and oldest stone circles has been found in Wales - and could be the original building blocks of Stonehenge.
Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the Waun Mawn site in Pembrokeshire's Preseli Hills.
They believe the stones could have been dismantled and rebuilt 150 miles (240 km) away on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
The discovery was made during filming for BBC Two's Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed.
The Welsh circle, believed to be the third biggest in Britain, has a diameter of 360ft (110m), the same as the ditch that encloses Stonehenge, and both are aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise.
And one of the bluestones at Stonehenge has an unusual cross-section which matches one of the holes left at Waun Mawn, suggesting the monolith began its life as part of the stone circle in the Preseli Hills before being moved.
Man thrown down steep bank after altercation with off-road drivers in Wiltshire
Rogue 4x4 drivers a hazard at Avebury again.
Police are appealing for witnesses following the incident, which took place on a byway near Avebury.
At around 3.30pm on Sunday January 24 a man in his 50s - out walking with his family - was verbally and physically assaulted by another man belonging to a group of off-road drivers.
Following an altercation with the group, the victim was thrown down a steep bank and forced into a puddle; both he and his family were then verbally abused by members of the group. Fortunately, the victim was not seriously injured. The assault took place on the top of the byway which runs from Avebury Trusloe to the trees by Windmill Hill. Police are now hunting for a man they believe is responsible. He is described as white, in his mid-late 20s, 5ft 10ins tall, of heavy build with light brown hair, a goatee beard and moustache.
It's believed he was driving a Land Rover with customised wheels. There were other vehicles involved, some of which did not have registrations plates. However, police believe that one of the registration plates contained the numbers 141 and letters BRM. PC Angela Holden said: "Despite the remote location we are asking if anyone out for a walk or run in this part of rural Wiltshire heard or saw anything suspicious during this afternoon.
"Perhaps you saw a convoy of off-road vehicles in the area or recognise the descriptions given.
"Please contact us on 101, quoting crime reference number 54210008149, if you can help."
You can also report anonymously via Crime
stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Directions: Take the B213 Ivybridge turn off the A38. If you exit from the E, turn R, cross over the A38 and take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. If you exit from the W, take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. Follow the Cornwood Road for c. I mile until you reach a mini roundabout. Take the L turn onto a narrow lane for Cornwood. Stay on this road for c. 2.5 miles until you reach the Cornwood Inn at a crossroads in Cornwood. Take the R turn for Torr/Harford onto a lane. After 0.25 miles stay straight on the lane. After another c. 0.5 miles stay straight. After another 0.25 miles turn L up an un-signposted lane and bear R after a sharp corner. Follow this narrow leafy lane for c. 0.25 mile then take the L fork. The road will end c. 0.4 mile later just after Watercombe Farm. Park as close as possible and follow the track for c. 0.5 mile past the water treatment buildings reaching the open moorland of Stalldown Moor. When you are 100 yards clear of the buildings strike N uphill towards Stalldown Stone Row relying on GPS or Map Reading to reach the Southern Cairn 0.4 mile N at SX 63215 61854.
Directions: Take the B213 Ivybridge turn off the A38. If you exit from the E, turn R, cross over the A38 and take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. If you exit from the W, take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. Follow the Cornwood Road for c. I mile until you reach a mini roundabout. Take the L turn onto a narrow lane for Cornwood. Stay on this road for c. 2.5 miles until you reach the Cornwood Inn at a crossroads in Cornwood. Take the R turn for Torr/Harford onto a lane. After 0.25 miles stay straight on the lane. After another c. 0.5 miles stay straight. After another 0.25 miles turn L up an un-signposted lane and bear R after a sharp corner. Follow this narrow leafy lane for c. 0.25 mile then take the L fork. The road will end c. 0.4 mile later just after Watercombe Farm. Park as close as possible and follow the track for c. 0.5 mile past the water treatment buildings reaching the open moorland of Stalldown Moor. When you are 100 yards clear of the buildings strike N uphill towards Stalldown Stone Row relying on GPS or Map Reading to reach the Southern Terminal 0.5 mile N at SX 63218 62074.
Directions: Take the B213 Ivybridge turn off the A38. If you exit from the E, turn R, cross over the A38 and take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. If you exit from the W, take the first L on the roundabout signposted for Cornwood. Follow the Cornwood Road for c. I mile until you reach a mini roundabout. Take the L turn onto a narrow lane for Cornwood. Stay on this road for c. 2.5 miles until you reach the Cornwood Inn at a crossroads in Cornwood. Take the R turn for Torr/Harford onto a lane. After 0.25 miles stay straight on the lane. After another c. 0.5 miles stay straight. After another 0.25 miles turn L up an un-signposted lane and bear R after a sharp corner. Follow this narrow leafy lane for c. 0.25 mile then take the L fork. The road will end c. 0.4 mile later just after Watercombe Farm. Park as close as possible and follow the track for c. 0.5 mile past the water treatment buildings reaching the open moorland of Stalldown Moor. When you are 100 yards clear of the buildings strike N uphill towards Stalldown Stone Row relying on GPS or Map Reading to reach the Southern Terminal 0.5 mile N at SX 63218 62074.