Posted on: March 27, 2020 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
The fate of Stonehenge and the A303 has reared its ugly head again, or perhaps not. When the Chancellor announced the Budget on 11 March 2020 he confirmed the Government’s continued commitment to the Stonehenge scheme, saying it is “going to get it done”. However, this does not mean the scheme has been given the […]
Posted on: June 20, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
Nighthawks (illegal metal detectorists) are a constant problem for archaeologists and the farmers on whose land they illegally trespass. Aside from the offence under the Treasure Act 1996 of failing to declare finds within 14 days of discovery, the loss of context is critical for archaeologists seeking to understand the find as a whole. Treasure […]
Posted on: May 3, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
It is fitting that, following Geoffrey Bennett’s last post on the Treasure Act consultations in the UK, this piece would also touch on a topic close to our hearts: the law of treasure. For four men in England last month the dream of finding treasure became a reality. While partaking in a four day long […]
Posted on: April 10, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
Treasure, bounty, pirates – these words conjure up romantic adventures in peoples’ minds, none the more so than when they relate to historically important wrecks. An example of this is the HMS Victory which sank in 1744 in the Channel on its way back from a mission to relieve British ships blocked in the River […]
Posted on: March 27, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
Searching for treasure and discovering new archaeological sites like Indiana Jones is every child’s dream. And this is exactly what Cadbury’s latest Freddo campaign sought to do. The relevant webpage listed a series of known archaeological sites in England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland where “treasure is fair game”, and encouraged children to […]
Posted on: March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
Laws and guidance notes are rarely retrospective as this would go against fairness and justice. As regards laws such as the Treasure Act 1996 and guidance notes dealing with human remains and archaeological excavation, however, many archaeologists, Anglo-Saxon specialists and museum curators probably wish that they could be. Hansons Auctioneers recently announced it would be […]
Posted on: February 15, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
The four residents of Neo Bankside who sought to make Tate Modern close off part of the 360° viewing platform on the 10th story of the Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern’s £260 million extension opened in 2016, have been denied their wish. Justice Mann handed down his judgment on 12 February dismissing their claim of nuisance and […]
Posted on: February 13, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
1 February saw the announcement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that a consultation has opened on a series of proposed amendments to the Treasure Act 1996 and its associated Code of Practice. The consultation period will last until 30 April 2019 and will be seeking views on a series of […]
Posted on: February 2, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
On 24 January 2019 IAL Senior Researcher Emily Gould and I attended a workshop on heritage crime organised by Historic England. The aim of the workshop was to present to the attendees the various types of heritage crime that can be committed, how the perpetrators can be convicted and appropriate sentences to be handed down […]
Posted on: January 16, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
While owning and living in a listed building may be a quaint dream for some of us, they do come with a fair amount of constraints, restrictions and headaches when it comes to undertaking repairs, renovations or even selling items held within them. Many an owner of a large stately home has found himself on […]