I’ve noticed a few hits reaching this page using the search terms ”metal detecting” and “Northern Ireland.” There are significant differences between the laws in Northern Ireland and Scotland and those in England and Wales. The following explanation by Roger Bland should help:
“In Northern Ireland the old common law of Treasure Trove applied and so the Treasure Act has effect in the province (with, however, its own Code of Practice). However, there is also in Northern Ireland a statutory duty to report all finds of archaeological objects, as well as legal controls over archaeological excavations, neither of which exists in England or Wales. The 1995 Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order includes a statutory requirement under Article 43 for the finder of any archaeological object to report the circumstances of its finding and the nature of the object within fourteen days. the object should be reported to the Ulster Museum, the police or the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, who may retain it for up to three months. In addition the Order makes it an offence to excavate any land while searching for archaeological objects without a licence, which means that metal detecting is at best a dubious activity. The Order also contains provisions, under Article 29, for archaeological objects found on scheduled monuments. [...]“
Bland, R. 2004: ’The Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme: a case study in developing public archaeology’, in N.Merriman (ed.), Public Archaeology. Routledge, London: 272-91
Tags: antiquities laws, metal detecting, Northern Ireland, treasure hunting
