500th find logged in new heritage scheme at Caistor

A finds recording scheme set up less than a year ago at Caistor Arts & Heritage Centre has seen one heritage volunteer log his 500th item.
Heritage vilunteer Peter Wheatley and Adam Daubney, Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire EMN-160510-135609001Heritage vilunteer Peter Wheatley and Adam Daubney, Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire EMN-160510-135609001
Heritage vilunteer Peter Wheatley and Adam Daubney, Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire EMN-160510-135609001

Peter Wheatley has been a heritage volunteer at the Caistor centre for some time and when the finds scheme was introduced he signed up straight away.

“It is really interesting,” he said.

“There have been a couple of things that have stood out - a South African coin from the Boer War period a couple of months ago and one from the Ottoman Empire.

“It is fascinating to think how these pieces from other countries ended up here.”

Last week, Peter passed the landmark of recording his 500th piece.

“I have learnt a lot through the scheme and plan to continue with it,” added Peter, who is also now going one stage further and working on 3D modelling of historic items.

The volunteer recording scheme at Caistor was set up by the Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire, Adam Daubney, who is delighted with how it is all going.

“We have been training volunteers since October,” said Adam.

“Peter was the first to come on board and he picked the system up really quickly.

“Finds can range from prehistoric to modern military, so it can take a long time to identify and record individual pieces.

“We need to know about these finds to help our understanding of the rural landscape.

“The scheme is a massive help to me - these 500 finds probably wouldn’t have been recorded otherwise.”

The Caistor volunteer group was the first to be set up in Lincolnshire and a second is set to begin at Bishop Grosseteste in Lincoln.

Members of the public are encouraged to take along items they have found in the area and allow the volunteers to photograph and catalogue the item to be put on the national finds database.

The item is then returned to the finder.

Adam Daubney is at Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre every Wednesday, from 10am to 4pm, for people to take along finds.

“Anyone can drop in and bring along a find for us to have a look at,” said Adam.

“Even if it (the find) seems not to be important, we still want to see it. It is better to see it and get it recorded, than for something be lost for all time.”

Related topics: