Ridge and furrow on my doorstep.

Ridge and furrow, what is it?

I have detected on many ridge and furrow fields, with very little success.

It always gets the blood flowing when you turn up to a dig and see those ancient markings in a field. It sends out a message that this land has been used throughout history and therefore finds will be abundant. Well I am sure that this will be the case for some people, but I have never had such luck, in fact I avoid the R&F fields when I go on a dig.

Now the town I live in grew up around the coal mining industry, I know little about what occurred here prior to mining fever taking hold. I know the A5 runs through one side of the town, with a famous Roman landmark being only 4 or 5 miles up the road.

But that’s it to my Knowledge; I know little else about its history. I follow a great blog by Brownhills Bob Here which I am sure contains some information about pre mining Brownhills. Once I have posted this blog I will have a trawl through the many great maps and post Bob has on the subject.

I have detected on a patch of wasteland on and off over the last 20 odd years and found a fair few bits and bobs. Part of the land had ridge and furrow characteristics which I had noted, but never thought about investigating further.

Today I had a trawl over Google earth and spotted how prominent the markings looked. Here is an image of the R&F from my screenshot.

Below is an extract from Wikipedia relating to R&F.

Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges (Medieval Latin sliones) and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages, typical of the open field system. Other names for this are reans (or reeans) and butts - the rean being the furrow between two butts. Field names using rean exist on Tithe maps. It is also known as Rig and furrow agriculture, mostly in the North East of England.[1]

The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas, as long as the open field system survived. Surviving ridge and furrow topography is found in Great Britain, Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. The surviving ridges are parallel, ranging from 3 to 22 yards (3 to 20 m) apart and up to 24 inches (61 cm) tall – they were much taller when in use. Older examples are often curved.

Ridge and furrow topography was a result of ploughing with non-reversible ploughs on the same strip of land each year. It is visible on land that was ploughed in the Middle Ages, but which has not been ploughed since then. No actively ploughed ridge and furrow survives.

The ridges or lands became units in landholding, in assessing the work of the ploughman and in reaping in autumn.[2] Strips were sometimes known as quillets such as those on the Tithe Map of Erbistock in Denbighshire.

Image below from Wiki, page found Here

Ridge and furrow in Cold Newton,Leicestershire

Here is an extract from British Archaeology web site the poo poo’s my theories to some extent.

Text taken from Here.

Not all surviving ridges relate to pre-enclosure fields. There are two other types that commonly occur, both dating from the 19th century. Wide ridges were sometimes ploughed within enclosed fields, again for reasons of drainage; they are distinguished from open-field ridges in being generally straight, rather wider (often 20m), not so steep and always parallel to at least one field hedge. An outside furrow going all round the field completed the ploughing technique. Good examples survive at Naseby in Northamptonshire (they can be seen from the A14), and other examples are known in Kent.
Another type of 19th century ploughing, most common around Manchester and in Cheshire, has very narrow ridges, 2m - 3m wide. The narrowness distinguishes them from pre-enclosure types; they too fit within present-day hedged fields.
Historical records, particularly open-field maps and detailed ridge-by-ridge surveys amplified by lists of open-field orders or regulations, reveal much interesting information about ridge and furrow. The scattered distribution of strips across a township was often managed in a regular pattern, so that if there were 40 yardlands in each township, a ridge belonging to one farm would be placed at every 40th position, and the farmer would always have the same people farming the ridges either side.

Ridge and furrow is generally regarded as `medieval' but the age of surviving remnants is strictly the date when they were last ploughed, that is when a township was enclosed. For many Midland places this was in the period 1730 - 1840, with examples known as late as 1895 and 1901. Away from the Midlands enclosure was usually much earlier.

The ridge and Furrow i have been looking at does not appear to have any hedge boundaries, which may point to it being early. This is something i will have to investigate further though.
It would be nice to be able to pin some history to those markings.
I will post a follow up to this very soon.

Best regards.

Help, i can't find anything with my metal detector!!!

A question I find myself screaming into the cold and wet morning air as I walk my dogs.

Yes there are over 100 flood warnings out there, and yes the coming weekend is going to be very wet.

This doesn’t always mean bad news for the detectorist, though the same can’t be said for farmers. Poor farmer Giles is unable to seed those fields as he can’t get on them; poor fellow, his tractor will sink.

This year I have noticed there are lots of stubble fields still waiting for the farmer’s attention. This is something that is increasingly irritating farmers as their income is taking a bath along with their land.

My advice is to go and see that farmer who has refused you several times over the last few years and ask him again. This time be armed with a £5 ready to put under his nose. It’s not a lot of money in the great scheme of things, but just might tip the scales in your favour.

Remember he is losing money on that field each day he can’t seed it. He is like anyone else trying to earn a living, give him an opportunity and he will take it.

So go put your rain coat on and pop off to that farm that as always tempted you. Have a chat with the landowner and wave the fiver. It could be the start of a beautiful relationship for you and your detector.

Good luck to you all, and if this post inspires you to go door knocking please let me know how it goes.

Two weeks on a whore of a field. Paid feilds for metal detecting at your leisure.

THE WHORE AND A BETROTHAL SEAL.

After developing a rain induced bout of "cabin fever", i decided that i would go detecting. My idea was to visit a farm not far from my home, where the farmer charges £5 for a day of detecting (a gauranteed yes).

Now if these fields where human and had a name, they would be "Sticky Vicky" from Benidorm. They have had more men...and women paying to get on them than Vicky could ever dream of.

Anyway, my mind wanders…..

I had mentioned on a forum that I was going go to one of my detecting buddies.  He was one of the few that lived close to me from the clodhoppers club. Lets Call him Smudge for old times sake. Smudge said he wouldn’t mind coming along, so the arrangements were made.

We met on a McDonald’s car park after a 5 minute drive from home.The McDonalds lies next to one of the fields. I took Smudge a ride around the farmers land in my Saab to give him an idea of the land available (those tracks were awful).  We happened across some fields that were ploughed (still some parsnips in them), adjacent to a stubble field which is where we decided to put coil to soil.

It’s always a good idea to do some research on your land; however I have to confess i didn't as I knew a lot about this land from conversations with other detectorists. There used to be a pond on this part of the land where medieval farmers would take their cattle for water.The pond had been filled some 300 years ago. A lot of finds have come from here, including a fair few hammered.

Well, we had about 3 hours on here and found not much more than a few buttons. The rain had heavily waterlogged the ground which I believed was reducing the depth the Deus was working at. We could clearly see where the pond had once been, however it was deep mud and not navigable.

We then moved allong to a field next to the busy A5. This proved to be a rewarding decision. Within 1 hour I had my first and only hammered silver coin. It was an Edward I 1273 I think (don't mind being corrected). It was not in great condition as it has sustained some damage, but recognisable none the less. Smudge had found a Saxon strap end, which he was made up about. I have never found one and would be delighted if i ever did. About 2 hours in I had one of my favourite ever finds. It was a 12^{th _} 13^th century "betrothal seal", in great condition. This is yet to be confirmed, a knowledgeable colleague gave me the identification. Smudge wasn't doing bad either, to follow his strap end, he had a large Roman grot.

The clouds were quickly closing in with rain forecast. After a quick conversation we called it a day. We made a run for it at about 3.30pm which was just in time to avoid yet another deluge. I managed to ground my car on the way off the track which is a risk we detectorists take on our adventures. Smudge had a SUV which handled the muddy tracks with ease.

TWO PEOPLE FACING EACH OTHER AND SHEILD BELOW, LEDGEND AROUND EDGE.

BETROTHAL SEAL THE CORRECT WAY UP.

NIBBLED BY TIME, BUT PORTRAIT STILL VISABLE.

EDDY I THINK.

During the following week, my son had expressed a interest and wanted to come along with me on the Saturday.

The weather forecast was dreadful for the whole weekend. The only light at the end of the tunnel was a few hours on Saturday morning. According to BBC weather there was a possability of a break in our part of the world.

Again we met on the McDonalds car park; I only had coffee…..Honest. We decided to firstly put coil to soil on the field that yielded the betrothal seal. This time I had a George ii half penny not long after we started. My son had a Roman grot possibly a minim. I had a further two George ii one was a penny and the other possibly a farthing. My son had a coin which we suspected was a George ii half penny. He then unearthed an oak leaf pendant, sadly there was no decoration left on it. I had a mysterious Korean cut half coin. One of my forum friends Wayne had said that he might go so my mind was on venturing off to find him.

I stupidly decided we should head across country to a field where I had previously found two Bronze Age arrow heads circa 2000bc, and a few flint tools. The rain had saturated these fields, they were a quagmire which was pulling us down like quick sand. It was exhausting just to try and move 10 meters. We soon put the white flag up and headed for the safety of a stubble field.

NOT A GREAT IMAGE OF MY TWO BRONZE ARROW HEADS.

 It was about 1.30pm, we had met wayne and his buddy had a chat and moved off. As we crossed the stubble field we noticed the sky becoming very dark indeed. I had a chat with the farmer as he drove past and asked him about a field where a Roman building had been discovered. He confirmed that he owned it and it was in stubble. We jumped into the car and headed off to the said field.

As we disembarked from the car I stated to my son that we had less than a hour to work this field as the clouds were quickly filling the sky. Unfortunately we had only made it to the other side of the field before we were startled by a huge flash of lightening. Now I am no pussy, but standing in the middle of a field with a metal detector during a lightening storm is not a good idea. We headed at a pace towards the car, accompanied by numerous flashes of lightening. I had a cracking signal as we were heading off and stopped to dig it. Again it was a Georg ii half penny. We made it to the car with 30 seconds to spare as the heavens opened. It actually hailed for about 5 minutes making the roads lethal. The rain then set in and put an end to any hopes of extending our day.

Considering these fields are complete and utter whores that have been done to death, they still come up with goodies.

For £5 I get a days entertainment without any hassle driving around door knocking.

FINDS FROM A THUNDERY DAY.

These fields are open to anyone. I would recommend if you have no permissions of your own, and your not too far away, give them a go. Even if its just to practice with your new machine. Or may be to release yourself from a rain nduced bout of cabin feaver.

God bless.

Metal detecting with clodhoppers at a open dig.

If you are new to the hobby and happen to stumble upon this post, you could find the following useful;

Open digs are more often than not club digs that are opened to visitors (subject to numbers).
If you have never been detecting, you may want to start at an open dig. You can get help advice and even confidence from these types of events.

The second of December had the clodhoppers out in the wilds of Worcestershire. A fantastic venue with more than enough land and finds for everyone.

From Roman to modern, the fields had it all. I did not hear a single person complain about lack of finds, which tells a story in its self.

Members were in a cheerful mood as this was supposed to be our last dig before Christmas, however now we have another. Christmas hats, tinsel and costumes of all descriptions were present. My friends Roy and May furnished me with mulled wine and mince pies, they were delicious.

Next weeks dig will i have no doubt be just as successfull, details are at clodhoppersmdc.co.uk.
Its a open dig, so if you are responsible and want to get a dig in before Christmas you could always join the forum and put your name down (subject to organiser accepting).

Here is the dig video, please enjoy.

clicky clicky here.

All the very best,

The humble spindle whorl, an everyday find and how it worked.

The weekend brought a much needed relief to the cabin fever i have been suffering of late.

Clodhoppers MDC had a open dig which i was determined not to miss.

As ever the location was kept under wraps until the last minute.

It turned out that the venue was a 115 mile round trip for me, which is nothing unusual.

I arrived deep in the Worcestershire countryside at 8am on a crisp and refreshing November Sunday morning. The venue was adorned with new faces, as normally happens on open digs. The regulars were out in force too, all deep in conversations and forging new friendships’ along the way

The dig was on a site along a river valley with a disused railway cutting at the other side. The landowner had put on some food after slaughtering a pig to celebrate the occasion. I did not take part in the feast, however i believe the food was fantastic.

The detectorist whose permission it was gave a speech which informed all of no go areas and boundaries, then off we went.

The fields were easy digging along the riverbank, as the soil appeared to be sedimentary. In fact there were very few areas of the 100 acres that the digging was difficult. The fields had livestock in them; They were real noisy critters. There were about 20 longhorns with their calves in 1 field, and a Bull in the next field. A few sheep were tagging along with the cattle. I did notice 1 sheep which was hobbling around on three legs, however this is something that is not unusual. Wherever we go to dig, and sheep are present at this time of year, we find three legged hopalongs. I must find out at some point what it is that afflicts them.

After a couple of hours it became apparent that the fields were not going to be giving up tons of goodies, one would have to work for it.

As everyone disappeared off to the sausage chef for some luncheon, i decided to grid out a part of the field the size of a pair of tennis courts. This took me two and a half hours to complete, and yielded 3 coppers two modern 5p's two bag seals and a rather large spindle whorl.

The later find got me thinking about how many of these are found, and how important they must have been to everyday life back in the day. I say back in the day because they have been in use for over 2000 years.

After searching youtube for videos, i found that the use of spindle whorls still happens in some countries. Below is one such video, others are available.

Thanks to spin2weave for this video.

 An ingenious yet simple device that allowed the spinner to get some extra purchase on the spin of the spindle. 

I wonder how they could have been lost, but then again i wonder this about a lot of things i find.

I like to think about how these things were discovered by the ancient folk. I am sure that it was not the case of some one waking in the morning and thinking "if i put some weight on the spindle it will spin better". No, my imagination has some matriarch of the family spinning her spindle in a hollowed out stone. In fact the motion of spinning causes the spindle to wear through the stone and create a small hole. The spinner then finds that the spindle goes through the hole and accidentally grips the stone. On her next spin, the stone causes the spindle to spin for longer and faster than ever before. There and then the spindle whorl is invented..........by a woman.

My paltry finds, oh but what fun. Spindle whorl bottom left.

In the clip below you can clearly see the whorl on the slender spindle as she flicks it between her fingers. The whorl gives weight and motion to the spindle, thus creating the twist in the fibres. A magical glimpse into what our ancestors would have been doing throughout our history.

Thanks to Ecuador 1 for this video.

All the very best to you diggers out there.

For 25 silver years Julie has stood by my side.

The love laden ramblings of an old curmudgeon.

It was 29 years ago when I first met my wife. Her name is Julie (I called her Jose the first time I met her), I am such a lucky man that fate caused our paths to cross.

Love can not be quantified, it either is or it isn’t, and safe to say they day I met her I knew I loved her. To this very day, I still love her to the full. Throughout our time Julie has always been there by my side.

Julie has put up with an awful lot of nonsense from me over the years. Some things I am not proud of, but none that I would change.  I believe they are the sand and cement of life that kept us so together. To be fair, I have had to put up with nothing from Julie. My dear wife Julie has always been as straight as a die with me, it makes me feel humble. We became the proud parents of a son (Carl) some 28 years ago. Julie was barely 16 and I was coming 17 when he arrived into our naïve young lives. We were given a council flat in Brownhills not 500 meters from where we first met (we still live and always have lived within 500 meters of that spot). With help from our parents we made a home of it. My mom and dad only lived 300 meters from the flat, they were a tremendous help to us throughout our early years together and still are now. On the 13^th February 1988 we moved into our current house, only 200 meters from the flat we lived in. On that very day we took delivery of our second son Simon. Both Carl and Simon have grown into outstanding individuals, thanks  to the hard work put in by their mom. Through all of this, she stood by my side.

25 years ago we tied the knot, or more accurately left Walsall registry office as a married couple. Times were hard; I was working for peanuts, running building sites for my uncle. I believe this is what helped me get to where I am today, as a manager over £7 million of work (yes I have become a responsible adult). We barely had enough money to buy a bottle of Harveys Bristol Cream for the reception which was held in our lounge. Julie wore my mom’s old wedding dress and could not have looked more beautiful. I wore a cheap suit purchased from Top Man in Walsall. Only a handful of relatives were present as there was not enough room in our tiny house.

We worked hard to make ends meet; Julie however carried the burden of raising the family while I continued with my slightly wild ways. Boxing, Rugby, football and the TA were some of the more memorable distractions I had. Through all of this Julie stood by my side.

21 years ago our family was complete. Darren a bouncing boy came along on the 25^th November 1992. We were by now a little better off, with me pulling in a half decent wage. It was nothing spectacular, but kept our heads above water. Julie has almost always dealt with our finances (in the few times I have been left in control I have literally pissed it up the wall). Julie is a complete and utter genius when it comes to domestic finances. I was still playing Rugby (the love of my sporting life), coming home all beat up and drunk on a Saturday night. I was a total and utter cad sometimes!

I would also go out on the lash with my workmates, while Julie dutifully stayed at home. I was made to pay for all of the wildness when I contracted a disease called sarcoidosis, which set us all back, I was only 27; it also ended my sporting days, well temporarily anyway. We have and still do live from month to month with our finances, but I am proud to say we have never been in debt (other than mortgage).  Through all of this she stood by my side.

In the year 2000, we made the decision to purchase our council house (thanks Maggie Thatcher). We were by no means well off, but both of us were working. We got a mortgage, which scared the life out of me. Julie however was as strong as ever and as proud as punch, she quickly set about steering me into many home improvements. In 1999, we had taken the momentous decision to end my career as a ground worker. I was very upset with where my working life was heading,  Julie could sense it as well. As usual she backed me up 100% and I took up an opportunity with a central heating firm as a builder. The kids were growing up fast; in fact Carl was soon to be working with one of my colleagues as an apprentice gas fitter. The money was starting to come in a little quicker now and we were able to treat the kids to gifts and the like that had previously been out of our reach. Julie always has and always will put the kids first. We went without if things got tight, but the kids would not. Neither of us are ones for going on glamorous nights out, or any form of partying for that matter. A Chinese curry and a bottle of cheap fizz was a meal fit for princess as far as we were concerned. I was still capable of letting myself down occasionally and becoming a drunken slob. Through all of this Julie stood by my side.

By 2011, all of the boys were in work with Carl and Simon being employed by Npower alongside me. Both are extremely competent, and confident in what they do. Carl has brought us two wonderful grandchildren. Darren has sorted his career path out and is now a maintenance engineer in a factory not far away from home and doing very well. Julie is a postmistress, which I love announcing to everyone who asks me. Prior to that she worked at Greggs bakery and back further she was a school cook. Needless to say she is an example of how an employee should conduct themselves. I can’t remember her ever having a day off for illness. I am now a contracts manager for Npower, with some far less adrenalin fuelled past times. The most dangerous thing I do is metal detecting on uneven fields. We now have upon us our Silver wedding anniversary…..bloody silver wedding anniversary, I can’t believe it! Julie is as ever my rock and my soul mate. This brings me to the end of my eulogising over our life so far…because guess what? You got it; Julie is here stood by my side asking “what are you doing”?

Clodhoppers dig 29th September 2013.

The day was set to be warm and dry, although we were deep in September. The clods were gathering in the farm car park in droves, it was going to be a well attended dig.

Ayit the dig organiser was taking in the dig fees and busily speaking to the farmer and dig members. Jax was selling the raffle tickets (which is the only fundraising the club does), and to be fair they were sold quite quickly. Without the funds raised by the raffle, the club would be potless. The monies raised goes towards paying for its and bobs what we use for the day to day running of digs.

At 9am Ayit made a quick speech, informing of out of bounds fields and field boundaries. The masses were then released into the wilderness.

On first impression the fields were littered with lots of foil, causing some indignation. This was reflected in the finds for the first three hours which were not the most encouraging.

At lunchtime, a fair few of the detectorists returned to the car park for refreshments. This is the time where if you listen well enough you will hear where the best finds are concentrated. I feel this happened as a few suspected Roman pieces were located in the far field. 

Encouraged by a quick view of the finds, a fair few members headed towards the fields. The afternoon finds improved on the back f this and this is reflected in the few nice bits of roman that appear in the video.

Here is our club video, i hope you enjoy.

Metal detecting fun, with friends from Clodhoppers club.

I have been a member with the Clodhoppers club for well over a year now. In that time i have forged some strong relationships with my fellow diggers. I share their triumphs and joys when out digging, i think they reciprocate.

Being part of a club is something i enjoy immensely, though i do still enjoy going out on my own, and the solitude that brings. 

As in every society, there are those that do, those that think they do, and those that don't muck in and help. Every one as important as the last, they are the parts that make a club what it is.

I like to be in the thick of it when i am involved in any club or group, it’s just the way i am.

The clodhoppers’ members are a fun loving lot who put a mountain of time and effort into organising digs for the masses. Most of the digs are club digs, to which only dig members are allowed. To be a dig member you must frequent the clodhopper’s forum and become involved with the club. When you first join the forum you will be classed as a light blue. Once you have gained the trust of others and frequented the forum for some time, you may be changed to a dark blue. In the interim, light blues may attend open digs which we put on fairly often. Anyone who brings land to the table for a club dig is almost sure to go dark blue, though this would still have to be discussed between members. 

You can be one of two types when you go detecting, those that will always have time to stop and chat, and those that will not make eye contact with any one. I love to stop and chat, and so do most of the clods. 

If that is the sort of camaraderie that rocks your world, get yourself over to www.clodhoppers.co.uk and join the fun.

The love token rally with Clodhoppers, when i was sick as a dog. Worcestershire metal detecting.

Well the time had come for the Clodhoppers mdc annual weekender. A weekend of fun filled metal detecting, camp fire antics and all around good sport.

I decided to finish work a little early on Friday, and load the car with my camping gear. You would think a simple two night camping trip would take 5 minutes to put together, well think again. After 2 hrs of packing the car was full to the brim. 

I set off and hit the usual delays and diversions on our wonderful motorway network. At one point I was diverted into spaghetti junction at 5.15 on a Friday, really not where anyone wilfully goes at the best of times.

On arrival to the site, I was surprised to see so many caravans and tents already set up. I quickly set up my tent in a pitch away from the others, as I did not want to keep anyone awake with my snoring.

I cracked open a Fosters and wondered over to the crowed for a chat. There were pats of cow shit everywhere, one of which I managed to tread in with just my flip flops on.

The fields looked amazing. Two fields were ploughed and rolled, the rest were pasture. Wayne who was the finder of the permission commented that we would have to give the farmer a hand in the morning to get some bulls off the pasture.

The rolling hills of wonderful Worcestershire. Note the detectorists enjoying the rally. Picture courtesy of woody

The camp fire was soon roaring (the farmer had dropped us a ton of wood). Chairs were pulled around the fire and people gathered. A guitar was being played and the air was full of banter and laughter.

I headed back to my tent at about 11.30 as I was a bit hungry and had eaten nothing since breakfast. A tin of corned beef was opened; I ate about 1/3rd of it before getting into my bag and going to sleep. At 4 am I woke and immediately felt a bit queasy. After about 10 minutes I began to projectile vomit out of my tent door, and scrambled to the hedge at the back of the tent. I am pretty sure I almost heaved one of my lungs up. That being said I felt like I had got whatever ailed me out of the system once the vomiting stopped.

Cars belonging to the one day detectorists began arriving at about 7.30am, I organised the parking. There were  people turning up at regular intervals, most of who I knew and a few I had never seen before.

There were about 25 who camped and at least 35 who turned up for the day. Everyone attended a briefing from Wayne just before 9am, and then off they went.

My son was the last to arrive on site. We quickly got the detectors out and headed off into the fields. I told him that I had been sick and was feeling a bit iffy again. Within 30 minutes I was doing a impression of the projectile vomiting, that the exorcist film exhibited. I knew by now i was going to be ill for at least the rest of the day. Simon my son was using my Whites Spectrum XLT, and sure enough he soon was on the money. At the top of a ridge he found a small hammered silver coin which was almost blank. Due to me being ill we decided to get closer to the tent in case I started spewing up again. By now i was feeling drained and got into the tent and fell asleep. Simon carried on detecting and found a lovely 1725 silver love token. There had also been found a Gold love token by one of the ladies on the dig, as well as quite a  few other love tokens of various denominations. 

Simon's 1725 silver shilling

Gold love token

This got me thinking of how a gold coin could be used as a love token and either lost or discarded in this field?

There is an old nursery rhyme that mentions such things;

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

I think the reference to crooked sixpence is about a discarded love token.

Now this is my take on what would happen back in the day;

A young man would have an eye for a young lady. He would have to impress upon her that he was serious about his feelings. This would be conveyed to her by presenting a coin bent into a‘s’ shape as a token of undying love and dedication. Some say that the man would bend the coin with his bare hands in front of the lady as a show of strength.

There is a train of thought that says love tokens (coins) were rubbed smooth on each side and then engraved with a message of love for the lady to keep and read. I have found many tokens, some smooth and flat, some bent and with all details on them.

Rubbed smooth

Rubbed smooth

 I have yet to find one with a message engraved that I can read. That being said, i have seen ones with engravings, but not very often.

The funny thing is that if the Lady was not impressed, she would discard the token (throw it into a field), only then the young man would know he was not going to get anywhere.

When you think about it, to throw away a silver coin worth about half a weeks wages was a big thing. The young man would be gutted on so many levels, and the young lady would really have to dislike him to throw it.

The poorer classes would sometimes use a copper coin to impress the lady; however I would imagine they were taking a risk that some one would come along and out do them. I have not found many bent copper coins; perhaps the young men knew better and would make sure they at least offered at least a silver sixpence (the crooked sixpence).

The weekend dig as I said earlier produced many tokens, including a gold quarter noble. That would be at least a week’s wages for a well paid man at the time.

I can just imagine the son of one of the local landowners bending his gold token up and presenting it to a beautiful young lady from the next village. Only problem was the lad was a mess, with two of his front teeth missing and a serious case of halitosis. To top it off he had a wart the size of a malteeser on the side of his nose. She held out her hand as he place the love token in it, she was shocked as she knew nothing of his affection. She knew however the only way to rebuff him was to throw the coin over her shoulder and into the field. I bet the lad was rooting through the grass for hours trying to recover it, what he would have given for a Deus I wonder?

I have given my wife a 18th century love token to keep in her purse as a gesture of my love to her (big softy me).

Also there is a belief that some of these tokens were good luck gifts to their lovers, or a lucky charm. I understand that they thought, as long as the token remained in their possession they would never be without money or luck. It is believed that soldiers and sailors often took them (tokens) to war with them. These tokens would be bent in half, not into the 's' shape that the love tokens were bent into. This was so that the recipiant would not spend the money. Below is one such coin that has now been flattened out, note the crease and note the date on it.

1943 sixpence, ww2 in full flow.

How romantic and tragic at the same time were these love tokens? I am trying to compare the giving of a love token with what we do these days to win over a lady. May be when we take a young lady for a meal? Chip shop for first meal is the equivalent of a copper coin token.
Silver sixpence would be a Chinese takeaway.
Silver shilling would be a top notch Indian curry house, with a bottle of Châteaux Bilston.
The gold token would be a meal at the Ritz, followed by copious amounts of Bollinger.

Its not to be said that the Chip shop meal would not do the trick, love after all is blind.

James 1 half groat possibly bent into love token   1604-1619

Love tokens are not worth much to numismatists, however they mean a lot to me and i am sure to others who find them.

The weekender dig will always be remembered by me for the projectile vomiting and the beautiful Gold love token, not an ideal match i know.

God bless.

if you like what i do, throw me a dollar and i will soon have more interesting posts for your enjoyment.

Detecting in Birmingham night soil with the clodhoppers.

Sunday 26th May 2012.



Typical night soil finds.

These items came from a site just outside of Birmingham and adjacent to the canal. The whole place was littered with broken crocks etc. Most of the finds came from the contents of the night soil that was spread over the field back in or around the industrial revolution era. the whole industry of night soil is rather interesting, with many stories, true or false associated with it.
During the early days of the industrial revolution, Birmingham grew fast. Housing was basic and running water was non existent. People would do their business in toilets which were often shared (fode). The result was that vast amounts of sewerage would gather in cuss pits. This would need to be removed to allow the continued use of the toilets. This is where the night soil men came into it. They were only allowed to work during the night, due to the smells generated while they did their business. The night soil men would go to each dwelling with wooden wheelbarrows and firstly remove the ash generated by the solid fuel burners. Each house would have a miskin (pile of general household waste). This would be piled up in the street by the night soil men and formed into a large circle with a depression in the centre. They would then scoop/ladle out the contents of the fode, and barrow it into the depression in the centre of the ash. Then it would be mixed up, like mortar is mixed on building sites. Once the mix was of suitable consistency it would be put on a tipping horse drawn cart and taken to the local night soil wharf. Here it was loaded onto barges; once the barges were full they would make their way out of the city and into the farmlands. Farmers would pay good money for the nightsoil as it vastly improved the yields of their crops. On this site there is a very narrow field, only about 12 meters wide which runs from the canal to a nearby lane. Story has it that a farmer who was desperate to get the nightsoil had to purchase the strip off one of his fellow farmers. He then used the strip to access the canal with his carts, and thus was able to use the night soil on his farm. Another story about nightsoil is that the Tipton slasher, William Perry was a night soil man, well kind of.

The Tipton slasher. picture courtesy of Sandwell museum, unknown artist.

 Story goes that he learned his fighting skills by having many punch ups with barge owners. You see, having to queue for locks was not good for business and a punch up would often decide who went through first. Once he gained his notoriety for fighting he made it to the top of the country’s pugilists. William managed to buy a public house before he lost his title to the legendary Tom Sayers. William Perry then retired to his public house (Champion of England) until he decided to make a comeback. He sold his pub and all his belongings to fund his comeback in 1857, which was a brutal rematch with Tom Sayers. The fight lasted for 2 hrs with Sayers eventually coming out as winner….Perry was a broken man. Perry returned to working the canal boats, and died of a lung disease in 1880. Its fanciful to think some of my finds could have been transported by the Tipton slasher himself to the field where I found them. It may be a little to far from Tipton…….or maybe not.

Tiny teapot lid found on surface of field.

Any thoughts on what this is?

Buttons, may be they fell into the bog ole when taking a dump.

Ship halfpenny 1942, probably lost at harvest time.

Traders token, many were found.

Club digs are all about socialising with people who are turned on by the same things as yourself, namely history. 
Everyone gathers in the morning, talking of their recent finds and often displaying them. New detectors are displayed and explained to enthusiastic onlookers. The aroma of thermos coffee fills the air, while members dress themselves in their detecting garb. A nervous voice raises above all others and beckons the members around for the briefing before the big off. 
And there you go 40+ detectorists heading into the distance, at times it brings to mind something from the walking dead. i am sure if it were a misty day and some one happened upon a dig just after the off, they would sh!t themselves thinking a colony of zombies were coming for them.

Thanks for reading and God bless.

Hypothyroidism and me!

My thyroid problem discovered.

Well slowly over the last 6 months my health has deteriorated. i have been back and forth to my doctors, which triggered them into sending me for all sorts of procedures. Most of the procedures were not related to my Hypothyroidism, nor did they identify it as my problem.
My main symptom was a sore throat, and a fullness in the throat. I felt the doctors were not taking me seriously, but at the same time i felt like i was being a nuisance!
Finally i was feeling ill enough to go back to the doctor and ask again for his help. The consultation was not going well, with the doctor rolling out the "you need to lose weight" rhetoric. I finally said that i wanted to have a blood test and asked if they could check my thyroid function?  the doctor agreed to this as well as sending me for another consultation with the Gastro consultant.
I turned up for my blood test early the next morning and read the card which said i should have fasted for 12 hrs! This had not been relayed to me by my doctor. I had to ask the nurse if i could return the following day when i had fasted, and this i did.
After 5 days i called my doctors who said my results were in and i could come in to see the doctor. My doctor went through my results and confirmed that i was suffering from Hyperthyroidism. He prescribed me some tablets and sent me on my way.
On getting home i decided to have a look at what the symptoms of Hypothyroidism were.
it turns out all of the following afflicted me.

Dry skin.
Sore throat.
Sore below the ears.
Swollen tongue.
Tiredness.
Mood swings.
Feeling cold.
Hot flushes.
Gaining weight.
Mind racing.

I have only taken my first tablet this morning and can not expect to see any improvements for a while.

If you are suffering the same symptoms, insist on a blood test which checks for your thyroid function.

god bless.

I guess when the weather is too bad for one to venture out into the suburbs, you have to become a little inventive in the home.
in a recent issue of a popular photography magazine my eye was caught by some interesting items. One of which was a shot taken on a office desktop using limited resources. that put me to work in my kitchen, using a beaded pillow which i thought might be of interest. I also had a small led light which produced a very white light.
The camera was my D7000, which i had set upon a tripod, as i was going to be using a long exposure.

uninteresting after my experiment.

Got the shadows to cast, but nothing of interest.

I have experimented with other materials as well. My first attempt was using silver foil as a base to illuminate a drinks glass and ice. Again it was not impressive, but i guess that if you don't try it you will never know.

Just did not work as i thought it might.

I finally got out with the camera 1 day in the week. I tried to capture an image of a moody youth wearing red which contrasted with the surroundings. i was not unhappy with this effort, but with the youth being moody, i could only get 5 minutes of cooperation.

Moody youth.

This weekend i will be out with my detector and hopefully taking a few pictures of finds.

Happy days.

Walsall wood camera club, on the move.

Shortly after joining Walsall wood camera club i discovered that they were going to move their home.
The new home of the camera club will be at the Anex (the old boys school) at the top of Brownhills.

Having been a witness to the parking problems that they had at the church hall in Walsall wood, i fully understand their reasons. There is potential for the club to grow, but not where they were located.

The Anex will provide ample parking and a room easily large enough to accommodate and increase in membership.
You can find a link to the club here. Contact details and meeting times are all available for anyone interested in joining.

It is a friendly and welcoming club, so if you have a passion for photography, get yourself along to a meeting.

Happy days.

Fisher F75 special edition in action.

Its been over a year since i purchased my F75 special addition. At the forefront of metal detector technology i was told. Well i have to say it has been a disappointment to say the least. Before the F75 i had a Whites spectrum XLT, which i really enjoyed using over the 14 years i had it.
Today i traveled to some fields which have been done over and over again by many enthusiasts. I was not expecting to find another Staffordshire hoard, just a general run out and may be pick up a coin or two.
I was initially trying to arrange for a few of the clodhoppers (a group of detectorists) club members to attend the farm on Sunday 6th. When i asked the farmer he was all for it, but the land was deep with mud. Also the crops are still to be harvested from most of the fields due to the bad weather, where they are Harvested the tractor has created deep sludge.

photo taken with my Blackberry of mud.

wellington got stuck in this lot!

One of my problems with the F75 is that it will not work when near power lines. The first field i went on had a railway track running along it. If i got within 25 meters of the track i got major feedback, rendering the machine useless. Even without power lines, i get lots of chatter through the headphones while searching. I have to turn the sensitivity way down to get the noise down to manageable levels. i don't see the point in having high sensitivity settings that i can't use.

All that being said, i do find plenty of things with the machine, i just don't get on with it. Here are the interesting and slightly interesting things i found while out.

Finds from muddy field.

Bottom center looks li a lions face pendant and is my favorite find of the day.Next to it on the left is what i think is a Roman pin head. the coin is a 1932 half penny. the strange shaped item above and left of the lions face is what looks like an oak leaf.

On the whole not majorly productive, but enjoyable. Now, what to do with the F75?

A local walk with local Photos.

This morning the weather looked like it was taking a turn for the better. I therefore donned my wellies and coat, threw my camera around my neck and picked up my tripod. Nell and Bella were in tow(my two Jack Russell), all excited as they knew they had a good walk ahead of them.
the first thing of interest i came against was a angler trying to catch Pike. Difficult to get a good Photograph of a single person who is watching you all the way down the towpath.

The loan angler.

As i passed the angler i had a chat with him and established that he would not mind me taking his photo when i returned. Always good to get into a dialogue with people as you soon find out if they are willing to be photographed. i did get him and his mate on my return. Not overly impressed with my effort, but you live and learn.

I next came upon a small pool out the back end of Clayhanger, i am not sure what it is named, but it sure is beautiful. I was quite pleased with this photograph, and will see if i can do anything else with it.

local beauty spot.

I bumped into at least six more anglers an my way to my next photograph, most of which were pike angling.

Turning off the canal towpath i took a rather unused public footpath that lead me around a a few large fields. the older of my dogs Nell, was beggining to feel the pace a bit, so i stopped and took the following photos. In my humble oppinion, the image looks better in B&W, what do you think?

B&W image of drainage ditch,

Colour close up, not so good.

As i pushed on i happened upon one of the local beauty spots that has a large pool with two islands set in it. It has a wealth of bird life upon it, however they are easily spooked. I think it may pay for me to spend a hour or two around the pools to get some good wildlife photos.

Geese on the move.

The edge of the lake caught in bright sunlight, with moody skys in the background.

The whole area is a wetland type of landscape with pools and puddles everywhere. A little further on, the track way passes under a old railway bridge i took a photo of it, but some how it is not pleasing. i can't work out why, and would appreciate some feedback. Finally i turned it into a monochrome, but still not impressive.

What could i do to improve this image?

About 20 meters through the bridge the little pool on the right has overflown and engulfed the footpath. I crossed it easily with my wellingtons on, but the Jacks got their bellies wet!

Flooded footpath.

As i passed the puddle i noticed how the sun was occasionally catching the ball-rushes on the right.

I set the tripod and took a few shots. I managed to get a old signal tower from the railway track in the background. Again i am sure there is much more i could have done with this setting.

under exposed, and an epic fail as the sun went in as i snapped this one.

Rushes without signals in sunlight.

Finally i traveled most of the Journey home on the roadside footpaths. I did however divert to the canal for the last mile, so i could see the angler in the early shot. i found a couple of swans in all of their Majesty which i just had to snap. I know there are millions of swan photos, but they are so photogenic.

They are just so powerful.

The angler had now got his buddy with him, both of them were real friendly and talkative. i did get a shot of as they said goodbye to me, but it is not as candid as i would have liked it to be.

Happy anglers.

I hope you enjoyed my local snaps, please comment if you feel the need.

peace be with you.

Woz.