In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Following extensive public consultation, several changes to the Treasure Act 1996, known as the Treasure (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2023, came into force on 30th July 2023. Changes to the administration of the Act were made to clarify responsibilities and processes, with the aim of making them more transparent and efficient. The main change was the addition of a new significance-based definition of Treasure.
The aim of the Treasure Act has always been to support the preservation and protection of significant archaeological finds for the benefit of the nation. The new class extends this protection to those discoveries which were not covered by the previous definitions of Treasure which were largely focused on precious metal objects.
In this session Rebecca Griffiths, Finds Liaison Officer for North & East Yorkshire, will introduce you to the changes to the Treasure Act and discuss how they impact museums seeking to acquire objects through the Treasure Act 1996.
Are you a non-specialist working or volunteering with archaeological collections and archives? Would you like to learn more about how to manage archaeological material and use archaeological collections to engage and inspire people of all ages?
As part of the SMART project, SMA is running 4 regional workshops in 2019 and 2020. They are primarily designed to meet the needs of those people working in museums (including volunteers) who want to gain a better understanding of how to care for, manage and unlock the potential of archaeological collections in their museums, and particularly for those who are less-experienced, or for whom archaeology might not be their primary area of expertise.
The dates for the workshops are:
North-west: 19th November 2019 at The People’s History Museum, Manchester
South-west: 4th December 2019 at The Royal Albert
Memorial Museum, Exeter
North-east: 17th January 2020 at The Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle
South-east: w/c 3rd February 2020, venue to be confirmed
We have 20 spaces and the workshops are free to attend with lunch and refreshments provided. A travel bursary of £50 is available for each attendee. Click here for more information
New opportunities to share and develop museum archaeology skills – apply now
Do you work in a museum with archaeology collections, but no access to specialist expertise? Or are you an experienced museum archaeologist keen to share your archaeology knowledge, develop your leadership and gain new insight into the broader sector?
As part of the SMART project, The Society for Museum Archaeology is looking for participants for a new skills-sharing programme, organised in partnership with the South East Museum Development programme.
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust are partnering with Durham University to hold a conference to celebrate, promote and explore the connected communities of Northern Prehistory. This is a highly interdisciplinary conference which seeks to bring together all professionals and amateurs who work and engage with Northern Prehistory within heritage, academic and educational fields.
Tullie House
Since prehistory was added to the curriculum in 2014, many heritage organisations have seen higher demands and uptakes for prehistory-based school sessions and a broader interest from visitors in prehistory. We are welcoming papers which focus on heritage education, curation and interpretation from all those who work with prehistory within the museums and heritage sector. Papers focusing on this are may address – but are not limited to:
Opportunities brought to museums and heritage centres through the topic of prehistory
How prehistory learning sessions are packaged, taught and promoted
How to use local history and resources in galleries, interpretation and education sessions
New approaches to interpretation including best practise for utilising objects for engagement and interaction
How museums and heritage professionals can utilise outside expertise from community groups, researchers, academics and field archaeologists to better their understanding of prehistory collections
12th-13th October 2019, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle.
Keynote: Professor Richard Bradley
The county of Cumbria is geographically defined and topographically distinct yet has deep and ancient connections: westward around the Irish Sea east across the Pennines to Yorkshire, north across the Solway Firth to Scotland, and south around Morecambe Bay. From flint scatters to stone axe heads, megaliths, rock art, settlements, field systems, and hillforts the county is rich in prehistoric remains, many of which indicate strong networks with neighbouring regions across northern Britain and beyond.
This conference will explore this interconnected world of Northern Prehistory through papers that examine how these prehistoric links and influences are demonstrated through a range of archaeological and interpretative approaches. We also hope to generate similar connections between current researchers and heritage professionals, inspiring new collaborations within and beyond Cumbria and the North of England. By bringing together speakers from a range of sectors, highlighting different methodologies, and promoting the extensive and distinctive evidence available both in the field and in museum collections, we aim to inspire new research and engagement that will move Northern and Cumbrian prehistory into the 21st century.
We warmly welcome papers and posters from all sectors, which explore the inter-connectedness of Cumbria and the North of England within the prehistoric world, or which highlight opportunities for new, collaborative research related to Northern Prehistory. Papers may address – but are not limited to – the following themes:
New research in Cumbria and the North of England
Opportunities, resources and priorities
New interpretative and educational approaches to display and engagement
Teaching and engaging with prehistory within the heritage context
The physical movement of people and objects: transport, travel, and trade
Stylistic influences: architecture, artefacts, and ideas
We invite contributions from students, academics, local societies, commercial units, amateurs, heritage professionals and education-based professionals.
Proposals should include: a title, abstract (250 words), and a brief biography, if necessary (150 words). All submissions will be reviewed by third-party referees.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us:
The Festival of Archaeology is coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology and showcases the very best of archaeology for everyone.
#ArchaeoTech is our theme for 2019 – Archaeology, Science and Technology. This can be simple activities, or events demonstrating ancient technologies, such as flint-knapping, pottery firing or metalworking. Alternatively, you may wish to demonstrate modern technologies such as the use of drones in discovering new archaeological discoveries or photogrammetry for recording excavations as they happen.
Their website is a one-stop shop for event organisers and a showcase for archaeology events from around the UK. It includes online registration, guides and publicity materials for event organisers, so it’s even easier than before to get involved and host an event or create activities for the summer.
The Society for Museum Archaeology (SMA) is pleased to announce that it has been
awarded £49,413 by Arts Council England (ACE) in response to its recent application to the ACE Subject Specialist Networks Funding Programme, 2018-20.
The funding award will be used to deliver the SMART Project (Society for Museum
Archaeology Resources and Training Project) that will:
Enable museum staff and volunteers to develop the skills to work with archaeological collections proactively and confidently across collections care, interpretation and public access.
Connect museum staff and volunteers with subject specialist expertise in order to facilitate knowledge exchange, and strengthen expertise in museum archaeology.
Ensure toolkits and guidelines are updated, and readily accessible to museum staff and volunteers through the SMA website, and those of other key stakeholders.
This will be achieved through:
A review of museum archaeology collections care and management standards to ensure they are updated and easily digested resources for all museum staff and volunteers working with archaeology collections.
The provision of free training workshops with travel bursaries for attendees, covering the key skills required for archaeological collections care and interpretation, with an emphasis on use of archaeological collections for public and community engagement.
The development of a peer networking and mentoring programme.
The overall impact of this training programme will be to help museum staff to acquire and develop the necessary skills to unlock the potential of archaeological collections for a wide range of audiences.
Find out out more by visiting the SMA website here.
Recent work by the Society for Museum Archaeology (SMA) in collaboration with Historic England (HE) has clearly demonstrated the pressures that museums with archaeological collections are facing in terms of diminishing storage space, staff reductions and loss of expertise. It is in this context that rationalisation (the application of agreed selection strategies to previously accessioned archaeological project archives, with the purpose of de-selecting parts of the collection) is being increasingly suggested as one way forward to help alleviate the archaeological archive storage problem and create storage space. Furthermore, the audits required by the rationalisation process are seen to be useful exercises in collections management since they increase knowledge of and access to collections. However, despite the potential value of rationalisation, little practical guidance exists for those wishing to carry it out and the overall efficacy of the process has never been fully assessed for archaeological material – until now.
The publication of SMA’s Guidance for the Rationalisation of Museum Archaeology Collections provides museum professionals with a series of practical considerations, written in straightforward language, as informed by the real world experiences of institutions.
Historic England and Arts Council England, along with a range of archaeology and museum organisations, have developed an action plan to address the challenge of sustainable management of archaeological archives.
Key features of the plan include:
investigating the potential for national or regional repositories
understanding and promoting access and use of the archives
clarifying issues of ownership and title transfer
exploring sensible charging frameworks
increasing the focus on retaining only what is truly significant and
exploring new technologies and methods of storage.
Historic England have launched a project delivered by Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, looking at the sustainability of archaeological archives in museum storage. If you are responsible for archaeological collections and charge for the transfer of archaeological archives then please participate.
The aim of this project overall is to provide a comprehensive survey of the charges required by museums for the transfer of archaeological archives. They also want to explore how museums decide what to charge and how the fees are used by organisations.
If you are happy to participate further in this project then you may be asked additional questions in a format suitable to you.
As this issue effects a wide range of collecting organisations we welcome as much participation as possible to get a full range of perspectives.
Historic England have launched a project delivered by Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, looking at the sustainability of archaeological archives in museum storage. If you are responsible for archaeological collections and charge for the transfer of archaeological archives then please participate.
The aim of this project overall is to provide a comprehensive survey of the charges required by museums for the transfer of archaeological archives. They also want to explore how museums decide what to charge and how the fees are used by organisations.
If you are happy to participate further in this project then you may be asked additional questions in a format suitable to you.
As this issue effects a wide range of collecting organisations we welcome as much participation as possible to get a full range of perspectives.
Historic England have launched a project looking at the sustainability of archaeological archives in museum storage. If you are responsible for archaeological collections and charge for the transfer of archaeological archives then please participate.
The aim of this project overall is to provide a comprehensive survey of the charges required by museums for the transfer of archaeological archives. They also want to explore how museums decide what to charge and how the fees are used by organisations. This project will compliment other recent activity by the Society for Museum Archaeology, not duplicate it.
Historic England will be contacting individual museums and staff members, but if you’d like to get in touch in the meantime please contact Stefanie Vincent at SVincent@Swindon.gov.uk.
For more information about the project click here.
Museum Development North West 