New Finds Liaison Officer in Kent

ArticlesIssue 79
Written By Jacob Scott

What do members of the public do when they find something interesting, which they may not be able to identify? Hopefully they contact the Finds Liaison Officer (FLO), who can advise on their find and also record where it was unearthed on the database. Kent has a new FLO – Jennifer Jackson. Jennifer introduces herself below.

“For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be an archaeologist. I got my chance at the age of 15 when I spent two weeks with Northamptonshire Archaeology, digging a Neolithic site. I found an aurochs skull with ochre in its eyes and I was hooked! I volunteered at NA every summer and attended training digs until I went to the University of Bristol to study Archaeology in 2001. After my degree I spent several years working for various commercial units all over the country on a wide variety of sites from Neolithic through to post medieval. I spent around 18 months working in various city centres on deeply stratified sites which I found fascinating and was amazed by the amount of artefacts that we found. This increased my interest in artefacts, which had first surfaced during my BA dissertation on early Roman brooches. I applied to the Institute of Archaeology at University College London and was accepted onto their Artefact Studies MA in 2007. The course was everything I hoped for; I learnt a huge amount about ancient technology and the ways in which artefacts were made in the past. As part of the MA I did a placement with the Sussex Finds Liaison Officer, which led in turn to me applying for the post in Kent.

Four months in, I am still hugely excited about getting the job and the opportunity it gives me; not only to learn more about finds, but also to work closely with people from all over the county. I am finding my way around all of the metal detecting clubs and am gradually introducing myself to the wider archaeological community in Kent. I am looking forward to working closely with you all in the future and to recording many of your finds.”

Jennifer has many ‘meet the public’ days:

  • 10th January, 10.30 - 16.30 – Dover Museum
  • 17th January, 10.00 - 16.00 – Dartford Museum
  • 2nd February, 13.00 - 15.30 – Ashford Museum
  • 19th February, 10.00 - 12.00 – Folkestone Peoples History Centre
  • 21st February, 10.00 - 16.00 – Museum of Canterbury.
Jacob Scott