Does Research Make You A Better Historian Than Detectorist ?

[Spooyt Vane]

Over the years I have pondered over many documents,maps,plans,journals,antiquarian notes,newspapers,folklore,field names and even word of mouth and a newcomer without research finds a hoard on one of his first outings...Luck thats it ...bloody luck,.,.Got his picture on my dartboard,next is the wifes witches curse,followed by pins in the voodoo doll.......Am i envious ....no...jealous yes lol

[alun]

  Think I am heading the same way as you Rob 
Good fun searching though 

[Pon]

Beginners luck..possibly?? For what its worth the reason i think a lot of hoards are found by "newbies" to the hobby is pure and simply down to the fact they a "newbie" will just want to detect and therefore search any field he/she can gain permission.
A more experienced detectorist will always try and concentrate his searching to areas close to or on occupation sites... most hoards i doubt would be buried by  a person in full view of their neighbours hut,farm.villa, castle etc the person burying the hoard will almost always look for a quiet spot where no on else can see what he has done..
quiet spot = no settlement = the vast majority of  detectorists not bothering to search that area.

[Chef Geoff]

I think 99.9% of hoards are found by accident and therefore luck. It's becoming clearer that a great many hoards were buried by people in places that could be seen from the place where they lived or even under their floor, which makes sense really as would you want to burry your life savings in a place that you couldn't keep an eye on it, the paranoia would drive you mad
I tend to research after the search now to explain the finds rather than the disappointment of the finds not matching the research.

[dances with badgers]

lol correct its luck

[carling2]

yes I think reseach makes you a better historian rather than a better detectorist,,how many times have you done the research for a area and you know all the history of a site and what was where and when ,,then you go to  said site and theres more finds to be had in a bag of compost so no it dosent make you a better detectorist ,,,what am I on about ,, theres no such thing as good and bad detectorists ,only thing that makes a difference is where you go and how often.
like Geoff , for many years now I tend to do the reseach after initial finds have been made on any new site ,saves having to do a jigsaw when most of the pieces are missing   but hey I havnt touched a detecter since mid aug so I aint doing much of research or tectin 

[Chef Geoff]

Correction there are "bad" detectorists, when I watch someone detecting I can usually tell if they have any/many cut halves or Roman grots in their collection and by looking at their collection I can even tell you how they swing their coil

[Val Beechey]

I've come to the conclusion that I can only stand so much disappointment. I'm never doing any more research into a site again.
I've said it, many times, just because you know there was something there is no guarantee that you're going to find anything.
Must admit though, I've learned a lot more about History since I started detecting than I ever did when I was at school.

Val

[Val Beechey]

Doesn't always follow, Geoff. If you saw my collection you'd probably say I didn't know how to swing a detector.   I know I can find a rivet at 6in so go figure.

Val

[congerman]

This will make you think A few months ago I went to A new beach never been there before the (coastline) beach is not A  popular one and is around 7 miles long town to town  at low water I was walking towards A spot I fancied and spotted A small depression about 5ft long over  near low water  I walked over to it out of the spot I got an 18ct gold chunky wedding band  ,was this luck or experience when I swept my metal detector over the area, the rest of the beach I had A few decimal coins I think luck plays A small part in hunting beaches  but I think experience + skill using the machine, research also plays A large part I think there is a lot of confusion when people read that someone bought A metal detector and first time out they found A treasure  
this reminds me of  the old phrase cropping up over and over again (THE GREEN EYED MONSTER) ENVY I personally do A lot of research on  the beaches I chose to detect and sometimes managed to get valuable information from the internet supplied by historians and metal detectorists and the public    

[Chef Geoff]

Ah beaches are a bit different as you get to know your beach and the way it works, I have a friend in Northern Ireland who knows where to go on his local beach purely by listening to the shipping forecast the day before and he does very well.

Val I know you have just got deep deep pasture I meant if someone has been detecting for years and has a good selection of Hammies but no cut halves or quarters it usually tells a tale

[Dungbeetle]

I have looked into permissions that I have got and on the more promising ones have found nothing and then done well elsewhere. I now go for the suck it and see approach. On the subject of cut coins I get the odd half but have never found a quarter, they seem a rare thing up here in North Wales maybe because it is mostly pasture land.

[Val Beechey]

I've recently found out I missed a field.(Didn't know he owned that one)  Grain for 3 years and grass this year. I'm saving it for the winter when the grass dies back. And it's not one of those mineralised ones. I know there was a burial mound in the next field (NOT recorded) where I found some flints and crystals, also a late 1600's farm on the other side of the lane. Ever hopeful.

Val

[carling2]

sorry Geoff I don't think a lack of roman bronze and cut halves/quarters signifies a bad detetorist ,even if someone has been tectin for years ,,in Herefordshire for instance as most of us know that there is a lot of land that hasn't got a sniff of roman on it and cut halves can be scarce on some sites,,when I had the Rhonda lads over here tectin I said to em ,,you see that kink in the hedge over there,theres some hammereds to be had there,,,oh the guy said weve just had 2 lads down there and they found nought,,,,2 months later I pulled up 10 hammereds in a total of 6 hours from there,,,does it make me a better detectorist than them ? no it dosent ,think it comes down to the fact I knew they were there to find through previous finds on that spot,not research. {and} before anyone starts moaning  } I sussed the site is a tudor period footpath not a hoard site

[Chef Geoff]

Given the cost of living in the high medieval common sense should tell you that there are more cut halves and quarters than whole pennies out there but yes they are far harder to find as you need to slow down and keep the coil, if possible, in contact with the ground. Pendulum swinging at 20mph, 6 inches off the ground will not find you low conductors, period.