Aims and Principles
Aims and Objectives of Our Organisation
Promote Charity and Not-for-Profit Operations: Uphold the values of non-profit work to benefit all stakeholders involved in heritage conservation.
Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement: Ensure active involvement and fair representation of all stakeholders, including landowners, in heritage and archaeological activities.
Heritage Conservation Commitment: Protect and preserve cultural heritage through proactive conservation practices.
Uphold Archaeological Values and Principles: Maintain high ethical standards and professional principles in all archaeological endeavours.
Adherence to Code of Practice and National Compliance: Ensure compliance with national laws and regulations through strict adherence to the established Code of Practice.
Highlight Historic and Regional Significance: Recognise and emphasise the historical and regional importance of archaeological finds.
Advance Research and Education: Promote ongoing research and educational efforts to deepen understanding and expertise in metal detecting and archaeology.
Accurate Spatial Recording: Develop contextual landscapes through precise and accurate spatial recording of finds.
Appreciation of All-Material Artefacts: Value all-material artefacts as critical evidence for dating and historical analysis.
Integrate Fieldwalking and Metal Detecting: Treat fieldwalking and metal detecting as complementary practices in archaeological surveys.
Enhance Site Definition through Geophysics Surveys: Utilize geophysics surveys to accurately define and understand archaeological sites.
Finds Custodian Program: Establish a custodian program to ensure the long-term preservation and care of archaeological finds.
Advancing Expertise and Compliance at the Detectorist Institute & Foundation
Get involved with the Detectorist Institute Foundation (DIF) and make your contribution go further with Government ‘Gift Aid.’ Help us support exciting and interesting detectorist projects.
Many detectorists appreciate that detecting heritage involves much more than ‘randomly searching for casual losses.’ While some critics ask, ‘Why do you need a course to learn how to dig holes?’ it’s clear that many detectorists are experts in their field, deeply passionate about exploring history.
We aim to attract both novices eager to learn and experienced detectorists who can help develop and disseminate expert guidance. Today’s detectorists must stay informed about revisions to the Treasure Act, restrictions imposed by national landownership bodies, and landowner obligations under the Countryside Stewardship. These changes make compliance with the Code of Practice and proper recording mandatory.
For instance, Tiered Stewardship requires landowners and farmers to ensure that all terms and conditions are met, including ensuring that detectorists’ actions, practices, and knowledge comply with all requirements when searching their land.
Enhancing Educational Standards in Metal Detecting and incorporating Fieldwalking
Education is crucial, particularly in ensuring that all key points of the Code of Practice are fully understood. These include:
- Ensuring no damage is done to the archaeological value of the land, including any earthworks.
- Avoiding harm to stratified archaeological deposits, which are objects found in the same location where they were originally deposited.
For those interested in working with archaeologists, whether voluntarily on community projects or in paid positions with commercial firms, educational qualifications range from preferable to essential, not least for health and safety considerations.
Our recent work has focused on researching past practices involving detectorists on-site, and developing new methodologies for those who may not have extensive experience with metal detectors. Our goal is to establish a consistent approach to this field.
