Some metal detectorists dream of making the discovery that changes history and 90-year-old Dave Derby has done just that – twice.
His first major discovery was a large Roman villa near Northampton, and this was followed by an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
Archaeologist Stephen Young says Mr Derby “embodies the best of what it means to be a metal detectorist and an archeology enthusiast”.
However, for Mr Derby, from Kislingbury, near Northamptonshire, the greatest joy is finding ancient artefacts.
“You pick it up and think, ‘What was the person who owned it like?'” he says.
In the 1970s, the police sometimes asked him to help track down objects, and he even found a gun – but not the one they were looking for. [Peter Derby]
His interest in metal detecting dates back to 1964, when he was helping his father in his garden.
“Suddenly he bent down and picked up something – and it was a coin,” Mr Derby recalls.
Experts at Northampton Museum explained that it dates from the reign of George III (1760-1820).
“And I was overwhelmed by what they were showing me, so I decided I was going to get a metal detector.”
Mr Derby’s discovery at Nether Heyford, near Northampton, turned into a community archeology project [CLASP]
Over the decades it has made many discoveries, but the one that first attracted international attention was the discovery, in 1996, of a Roman villa at Whitehall Farm.
The extensive complex, dating from the early 3rd century to the late 4th century, included two baths, complete with tessellated mosaic floors, and two 2nd century roundhouses.
“I was spotting in a particular field and I was looking around, there was pottery lying around – then I started finding Roman coins,” says Mr Derby.
“And the farmer had come to see how we were doing, and I said, ‘You’ve got a Roman site here.’
Years of excavations revealed that it was at the center of an agricultural property spanning about 10 acres (four hectares) [CLASP]
They sought the advice of Mr Young, who had worked with Mr Derby since the mid-1980s.
“The site is a rare example of late occupation of a villa remaining in use until the mid-fifth century, 50 years after the accepted end of imperial Roman Britain,” explains the former lecturer at the University of Northampton.
The discovery at Nether Heyford, near Northampton, developed into Clasp, a community archeology project that ran until 2012, attracting students, volunteers and archaeologists from around the world.
His discovery of a sword and a skeleton helped archaeologists unearth a previously unknown cemetery [CLASP]
Mr. Derby’s next massive breakthrough came when the same owner offered him another field to explore.
“I went on this nice flat ground and about 10 meters (9m) from the hedge at the top, I got this fantastic signal,” he says.
“And out came a lady’s Saxon brooch, so I kept scratching around and found a piece of metal that I thought might be part of a sword.
“I called my son and said, ‘You have to come – I found a sword and I have a hand on the end of it!'”
By the time his son Peter showed up, the police had arrived to verify that the human remains were not the result of a recent murder.
The 2003 discovery became known as the Anglo-Saxon warrior.
Further excavations in the area revealed five more graves and then a few years later, some 23 sets of remains were discovered.
Mr Derby was among the volunteers who helped archaeologists excavate the villas and cemetery [CLASP]
Among them were the remains of what appear to be “feudorates”, soldiers of continental origin invited to Britain by the Romans under a treaty to provide military support, Mr Young says.
Burials revealed family groups, some of the female remains found to be of local origin.
The analysis suggested that some probably dated as early as AD 430. – around the time the Roman Empire collapsed.
This made it “a seminal site of national importance for the post-Roman and early 5th century AD migration period,” says Mr Young.
Other finds included an early 6th-century Mercian warrior burial and a 7th-century barrow burial of a man with a sword, whose rediscovery “was down to Dave Derby”, he adds.
“I am fortunate to have worked with him and to have been able to integrate his undeniable talent and skills into improving our ability to understand the archaeological narrative,” says Mr. Young.
Among his favorite finds is a 7th-century pendant found at Woodend in 2019 that no museum wanted to acquire – the landowner’s wife now wears it. [The Portable Antiquities Scheme]
Mr Derby continues to love metal detecting, now accompanied by Peter, who says: “I feel like we’re modern time travellers; digging holes in the ground and discovering something that hasn’t seen the light of day, sometimes for thousands of years.”
All finds of gold and silver over 300 years old are reported to the Northamptonshire Finds Liaison Officer in accordance with the Act.
One of Mr Derby’s favorites is a 7th century gold and gemstone pendant which was returned to the landowner and is now worn by his wife.
“I’d rather find artefacts – they belong to someone and you think, ‘What were they doing there?'” he says.
“It’s one of the most fantastic hobbies I’ve ever had.”
Mr Derby is now accompanied by his son Peter, who has finally – after years of prodding – discovered the metal detecting bug. [Peter Derby]
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