2022 Annual round up from the West Midlands PAS team for Staffordshire

a copper alloy token

Total number of finds recorded for the county in 2022: 1,252 No of Treasure cases discovered in Staffordshire in 2022: 35 Material composition of the highest number of objects recorded: Copper alloy, followed by silver Historic period with the most finds recorded: Post Medieval Object type with the highest number of finds recorded: single coins, …more

Introducing our newest member of the team

Hello! My name is Sarah, and I am one of the new Finds Liaison Assistants for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in the West Midlands.
My past studies include a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Archaeology at the University of Nottingham and then a master’s degree in Museum and Heritage Development at Nottingham Trent University.

Latest Treasure from Staffordshire

A gold sheet with filigree decoration, similar to that of the Staffordshire Hoard

Today (Wednesday 8th September) saw five more cases officially declared Treasure. All have been found through responsible metal detecting and have been reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme. All cases have significantly increased our archaeological knowledge of life within Staffordshire. 2020T108 – A small addenda to an earlier coin hoard, 2015T702, found in the Lichfield …more

Finds Day Survey – Results

A photograph of Birmingham Museum, taken from Chamberlain Square, showing the clock tower and the portico entrance

Thank you to everyone who has responded to our Finds Day survey. We had 45 answers which has given us plenty to think about. There were several reasons for doing this survey. The first one being that Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is closed for a significant length of time, so one of our main …more

Finds Day Survey

The logo of the Portable Antiquities Scheme featuring a fragmentary anglo-saxon disc brooch

Traditionally, in Staffordshire and the West Midlands, we have held Finds Days at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent.  Unfortunately due to essential rewiring work that needs to be carried out through 2021 and probably longer (It’s a big building), Birmingham Museum is closed to the public and unavailable. Our secondary …more

Staffordshire Treasure Cases in 2018

An Early medieval zoomorphic copper alloy strap end with a silver rivet, and a hook attachment on the reverse.

During 2018, 432 finds were recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme as being found in Staffordshire. Out of these, 24 were classified as Treasure under the requirements of the Treasure Act 1996.  These 24 cases included 7 finger rings, 4 coin hoards, 2 mounts, a button, a spoon, a brooch, a bell and a strap …more

West Midlands Treasure 2018

On Monday 21st March, the 2018 Treasure Annual Report was laid in front of Parliament. In ‘normal’ years, the British Museum normally hold a press conference to show off some of the nicer finds and important Treasure cases of that year. However due to Covid-19 restrictions, we had to do things slightly differently this year. …more

Digging the dirt on the Romans

As we celebrate 1.5 million finds on our database, I reflect upon one of the more exciting finds and retrievals of an object that I have been involved in during my four and a half years as a FLO. Near Barlaston in Staffordshire, Steve Squire, a metal detectorist living in the area discovered a small …more

Guest Post: Abigail Taylor, Potteries Museum

I believe that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a hugely important archaeological resource and this is something that I wanted to demonstrate with my PhD research. I have recently completed my PhD for which my thesis was entitled ‘Unstructured Data and Archaeology: The Use of LargeDatasets in Archaeological Research’. When I started my research, at The University …more

Admiral George Anson – A Staffordshire Pirate

George Anson, son of William Anson and Isabella Carrier was born at Shugborough Manor, Staffordshire in 1697. Aged 15, he entered the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession.At the age of 19 in 1716, he was promoted to Lieutenant, serving aboard the HMS Hampshire. During the rest of his naval career, he …more