Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands - Britain's History uncovered

• Foreword from the head of the portable antiques scheme
• Metal Detecting timelines
• The Bronze Age and the Iron Age
• Roman Britain
• The Dark Ages
• The Vikings and Beyond
• Normans and Plantaganets
• Late Middle Ages and Tudors
• Union and Disunion
• The modern era
• The treasure act
• The Gazetteer
• East Anglia
• East Midlands
• Heart of England

• The North-East
• The North-West
• The South-East (including London)
• The West
• The West Midlands
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales
• National council for metal detecting code of conduct
• Museums
• Portable antiques scheme
• Treasure on the web
• Bibliography

Since humans first lived in Great Britain and Ireland literally millions of items have been buried, thrown away or simply lost. More than half of the important archaeological discoveries over the years have been accidental finds, most with fascinating stories behind them and all adding to our knowledge of life in the past. Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands is a lively journey of discovery through the historical treasures found on these shores.

In 1948 a ploughman discovered what he thought to be three pieces of scrap metal. This scrap metal turned out to be the first find of the famous Snettisham hoard. In 1825 a couple claimed to have seen a ghostly warrior wearing golden armour. In the same place, eleven years later, some workmen discovered a skeleton with a gold breastplate. These are just a few of the intriguing stories which are included here.

In the company of a most unexpected historian we discover when and where finds were made, together with descriptions of the objects and how they came to be there. The legal and archaeological issues around treasure-hunting are also explored, as are the dos and don'ts of identifying prime sites, keeping accurate records and identifying objects.

In this lavishly illustrated book, Bill Wyman and Richard Havers have created a treasure trove for the beginner or more experienced archaeological explorer and for anyone interested in finding out about the exciting discoveries made in the British Isles.

Bill Wyman was born in London and joined the Rolling Stones in 1962. His previous books include Stone alone, Wyman shoots Chagall, Bill Wyman's Blues odyssey and Rolling with the stones. He is a dedicated historian and archaeologist, with a large collection of his own finds.