A paean to the DENO volunteers

As we are rapidly approaching Christmas, and Christmas is a time to be thankful, I think it’s high time I pay tribute to our fantastic volunteer team in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Each week at Derby Museum and the Museum of Archaeology in Nottingham, the PAS is supported by 15 student and community volunteers who bravely …more

Meet the Volunteer: Meghan

Tell us about yourself I started volunteering for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in October 2017, a few months after graduating with an MA Archaeology degree at Newcastle University. My undergraduate degree is also in archaeology, and both my dissertations involved looking at archaeology from the 20th century. Since graduating, my aim …more

Meet the Finds Liaison Assistant: Phil Hughes

Tell us about yourself. I am a Finds Liaison Assistant for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, having started this role in December 2017. I am assisting Alastair Willis, the Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, for three days per week for six months on a placement as part of my doctoral research, being undertaken at the …more

Vikings in South Derbyshire

Most people with an interest in archaeology, or who have been watching ‘The Last Kingdom’ on the telly, will have heard of the Viking Great Heathen Army which ravaged England in the ninth century. Fewer people may know that the Army overwintered in South Derbyshire, at Repton, in A.D. 873-4. It is unlikely that all …more

Derbyshire Unearthed: 20 Years of Treasure and the PAS

Derbyshire Unearthed is an exhibition at Derby Museum and Art Gallery celebrating the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Treasure Act 1996 on 24th September 1997 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the founding of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The exhibition is in two parts. Part 1: Artefacts runs from 23rd September 2017 to 4th …more

Meet the Volunteers: Susheela

Tell us about yourself. I have been a volunteer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Derbyshire since November 2016. I am also volunteering with the PAS in Lincolnshire and Shropshire as of November 2016. I completed my PhD in Archaeology at UCL in 2015 as well as having a baby! Since returning from maternity leave and …more

Simon Goes In Search Of Medieval Buckles

The idea for this project came from a speculative suggestion made by Dr Helen Geake during PAS training on common medieval finds. Discussing the difficulties of accurately dating buckles and other detectorists finds without a conventional archaeological context, Dr Geake raised the possibility of comparing finds with images on memorial effigies and brasses of known …more

Meet the Volunteers: Sophie

Tell us about yourself. I have been a volunteer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Derbyshire since October 2016. I am currently on a gap year after finishing high school, where I studied History for A Level, and next year I will be studying English and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick. What does …more

Meet the Volunteers: Simon

  Tell us about yourself. I have been volunteering with the PAS in Derby since November 2015. My background is in adult education; my specialist area is Astronomy. What does your role involve? I assist the FLO identifying and recording items brought in by members of the public. What area of history/archaeology are you most …more