DetectingWales.com

Hello All,

There are a few areas of common land nearby, do I require permission off the local council to detect on it or can I just get stuck in?

Thanks,
Steve.

Hi Steve, if only mate the answer is no, all land is owned and thus requires permission from relevant owners ;)

Council don't own land, it's held in trust for us lot to enjoy if memory serves me.

I'm not lucky enough to have permissions so I just detect in local parks. 9 times out of 10 I've been left alone. Do remember to fill your holes in  :)

Hmmm, maybe the old saying of... It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission... Applies here....

*ducks for cover....

I disagree  :) I would say its better to show the hobby in its best light and abide by the law.

im with taff on this one , the more people with that attitude will give more honest detectorists a bad name and i think that is something we could all do without

We have one small area that is still common land and in the old days when annual fairs were run on these commons the common people would walk the bounds to keep them in the hands of the people..But greedy local government have laid claim to them..Only a legal challenge might get them back to where they really belong ..In the hands of us common folk..But I think it would be to expensive path to follow >:(

Don't worry guys, I was only teasing.  I have my beach permission sorted already and know a number of farmers in the area so will be starting with them :)

My parents live next to some common land, I have photos of it from the late 1800s with a worn path along it which was still there when I was a kid, although its almost gone now.  It would be really interesting to detect along it.

How would I go about getting permission on such land?

I think you'll get 'computer says no' if you're asking the council.

In all honesty I don't see detecting on common land giving us a bad name if you do the basic's, filling in holes, not being a pain to anyone else.

Personally I'm much more concerned about dog owners who don't clean their mutts **it up especially where kids play  >:(

Have a word with the neighbouring farmers as they may know who owns it. The "common land" round my way is owned by a local gentry family and an approach to them may be worth it. Nothing ventured etc.
As Celtic Spikey said, all land is owned by someone.
Common land is basically private land that commoners (not oiks) have a right to specific uses of. Ie grazing rights or access.
As a tenant to my landlords 2nd farm I could theoretically graze a few sheep or a couple of cattle on my local common..

Shadow, I tried to gain permission on Llantrisant Common. I had to go through the Free Masons - I got a no.

While iin Bristol area last year, part of a farm I was detecting,some land was common, the owner said he was chairmen of the graziers who grazed the common with their livestock, He said at the time that he had control over that area and it was his decision what the land was used for  ???

We all I would assume ask the land owners permission, so do you all ask the landowner if there is a tennant farmer who rents the ground gives you permission ????

Ahhh I did it again John, I keep calling them Freemasons - Last time I explained the story I called them the Stonemasons  :(

they like to keep it in the family ,why not join up ?

hi mate,i have detected on common land in the past and as far as i can remember you have various different types of common land.you have privatley owned common land which speaks for itself.you have common land for grazing usually shared by the local parish.and various other types i have a book on local commons in hereford which explains the different types of common(i think they total 8) i'll try and find the isbn number if i still have the book.

I have just found that the National Archives have a document on this land so I have ordered it.  Not sure if they charge, I'll find out shortly.

Usually if you order anything from National Archives on line you pay on line before order is complete.  If you haven't been asked then maybe it's free.

Val

Our local common land is looked after by a "commoners association".
We wrote to their committee to ask permission.
The reply was that we are allowed to detect on the common land but no one is allowed to dig!

can you then check molehills with a probe ?
as they have dumped lose soil on surface

If you can let me have the title or author I will ask the missus to check it up on the system at Leominster library for you.

Common land is held for gaming, hobbies and leisure activities so metal detecting is allowed on the land but no digging is permitted due to the archaeological value of the site.

George

hi radnor bandit,i still cant find the book but i am sure it is  called herefordshire commons,or herefordshire common land.probably the former.

I will ask the mistress of the books when she gets home tonight.

If you want info on Herefordshire commons this website may be of some interest.
http://common-land.com/ (http://common-land.com/)