President’s Column
After the process started by my predecessor, Ian Coulson, the KAS became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 1st January 2019. As mentioned in my previous column, members were informed that the Society’s old bank account would close and from 2019 the subscription should be paid into the new bank account. While many members did send their subscription to the correct new account, the Society’s membership secretary, Shiela Broomfield, has been working hard to correct the many errors that have occurred when subscriptions have been credited to the wrong account.
On the same date, the Society’s revamped website was launched successfully.
Donation to the Society
During last year the Society was given a significant volume compiled during the first decade of the Society’s existence. Originally the volume belonged to E M
Gibbs of Clarendon Cottage, Gravesend who pasted newspaper reports of the Society’s annual meetings from 1858 until 1868. Somehow the volume found its way to the West Country and has been donated to the Society by Caroline Marsham of Herefordshire. The Society must also thank David Everett of Worcester for arranging the gift and undertaking some family history research on Edwin Gibbs.
Consultation on Proposed Changes
Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the increase in interest in metal detecting has seen treasure cases rose from 79 in 1997 to 1,267 in 2017.
Most of the document seeks views on the technical operation of the Treasure Act 1996 including reporting a find, the definition, the valuation of treasure and the acquisition by museums of treasure.
The last part of the consultation (paragraphs 136 to 143) concerns the long term future of the treasure process and its sustainability. I have included paragraphs 141 and 142 as they may be viewed as having long term implications for the KAS and all archaeological societies.
Our aim, therefore, is to have a treasure process that supports the intention of the Act and encourages positive behaviour. In order to continue its success, however, the process must have a sound financial underpinning.
To this end, we are putting forward several initial suggestions as to the basis of discussion on the future form of the treasure process. These are:
the introduction of a process similar to that in Scotland, whereby all archaeological objects become the property of the Crown;
strengthening educational outreach to the full spectrum of the metal detecting community in order to encourage the proactive reporting of finds and