White Cliff’s M. D. Club Introduction to Kent Archaeological Society
The White Cliff's M.D. Club was formed on the 4th July 1994 and since then has steadily increased its membership and standing within the archaeological and metal detecting world. We have all worked hard to establish strong links with the various bodies within archaeology, which until recent years was unheard of.
The White Cliff's is now prominent in the South of England and well known for promoting and preserving our valuable heritage. The Club offers a unique opportunity to exchange information between all interested parties. This in turn has led to a deluge of new information of historical and archaeological interest for the public record.
The recording scheme that we adopt is the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Our Club was involved in its establishment 3 years ago, as one of the first pilot schemes in Britain. Since that time the scheme has been adopted by eleven counties in England and Wales and hopefully nationally in the near future. Members are encouraged to record their finds, with all details remaining confidential.
The Club offers free recovery and support to Kent's archaeological groups and has recovered objects from sites that would otherwise have gone undetected by eye.
In 1998 Dover Museum gave the White Cliff's a display case at Dover. This is one of only three in the country awarded to a club. During 1997 the Club staged an exhibition at Dover Town Hall, raising £350 towards the Bronze Age Boat Trust. Throughout the August Bank Holiday 2000 we were also invited to take part in the Time Team Live at Canterbury for Channel 4, on which our members recovered 96% of all metal artifacts found on three sites.
At present the club is promoting two pilot schemes. The first is a Finds Identification Clinic, where independent detectorists are invited to bring along their collection whole or in part, to be identified by a panel of experienced detectorists. This event is being supported by the Kent Finds Liaison Officer, Michael Lewis, local archaeologists and Dover Museum. It is hoped that this will help to promote the finds recording of many independents. The service is free of charge, however donations are gratefully received for Dover Archaeological Trust.
The second pilot scheme is a Research Team. Many members are interested in unravelling the history of their sites and to put finds into context with the changing landscape. Hopefully with the help of Kent Archaeological Society and local archaeologists there can be a better understanding of sites, combining archaeology, research, metal detecting and field walking.
It is evident that in a changing world where there is a distinct lack of funds for excavations, metal detecting can provide a free resource, which managed responsibly and correctly can minimize the need for sub-surface excavations. Therefore valuable finds can be redirected to threatened sites.