| Genre: | Documentary |
| Creator: | Michael Kelpie and Ed Taylor |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 14 |
| Executive Producer: | Michael Kelpie, Ed Taylor |
| Runtime: | 30–60 mins |
| Company: | ITV Studios |
| Network: | ITV |
Britain's Secret Treasures is a British documentary shown on ITV hosted by Michael Buerk and Bettany Hughes.[1] The programme features fifty archaeological discoveries that have been made in England, Wales and Scotland by members of the public.[2] [3] With the exception of a single find made in Scotland, all the objects featured were recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Since the PAS was set up in 1997, some 800,000 objects have been registered with the scheme, many of them discovered by amateur metal detectorists.[4]
The fifty finds have been selected by Hughes and a panel of experts from the British Museum (Roger Bland, Michael Lewis, Sally Worrell and Ian Richardson) and the Council for British Archaeology (Mike Heyworth) from among the nearly one million finds reported to the PAS on the basis of their historical and cultural significance, as well as on their aesthetic merit.[5] The six episodes of Britain's Secret Treasures present the fifty objects in reverse order according to their importance as judged by the panel, in a countdown format, with the ten most important objects revealed during the sixth and final episode.[4] [6]
Taking the top slot in the countdown, as the most important object according to the panel, is a Lower Paleolithic flint handaxe made more than half a million years ago that was found on a beach in Happisburgh, Norfolk, in 2000 by a man taking his dog for a walk.[7]
| Episode | Air Date | Contributors | Objects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 July 2012 | 45–50[8] | |
| 2 | 17 July 2012 | 38–44[9] | |
| 3 | 18 July 2012 | 27–37[10] | |
| 4 | 19 July 2012 | 19–26[11] | |
| 5 | 20 July 2012 | 11–18[12] | |
| 6 | 22 July 2012 | 1–10[13] | |
| Episode | Air Date | Contributors | Objects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 October 2013[14] | ||
| 2 | 24 October 2013 | ||
| 3 | 31 October 2013 | Russell Grant Tony Baker Thomas Littleton Suzannah Lipscomb | |
| 4 | 7 November 2013 | ||
| 5 | 14 November 2013 | John Prescott Mary Ann Ochota Suzannah Lipscomb | |
| 6 | 21 November 2013 | Mariella Frostrup Ekow Eshun Suzannah Lipscomb | |
| 7 | 28 November 2013 | ||
| 8 | 5 December 2013 | ||
| Number | Image | Object | Date | Where Found | When Found | PAS Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Happisburgh Handaxe | 2000 | NMS-ECAA52 | |||
| 2 | 2001 | PAS-BE40C2 | ||||
| 3 | 2009 | WMID-0B5416 | ||||
| 4 | Chalgrove Hoard | 2003 | PAS-879F02 | |||
| 5 | Boar Badge of Richard III | 2009 | LEIC-A6C834 | |||
| 6 | 2000 | PAS-984616 | ||||
| 7 | 2003 | WMID-3FE965 | ||||
| 8 | Baldehilde Seal | 1999 | PAS-8709C3 | |||
| 9 | 2010 | LANCUM-E48D73 | ||||
| 10 | 2007 | SWYOR-AECB53 | ||||
| 11 | Near Lewes Hoard | 2011 | SUSS-C5D042 | |||
| 12 | 2009 | N/A | ||||
| 13 | North West Essex Ring | 2011 | ESS-E396B1 | |||
| 14 | Ashwell Hoard | 2002 | PAS-9708E3 | |||
| 15 | Winchester Hoard | 2000 | PAS-845331 | |||
| 16 | 2004 | SWYOR-D37EE5 | ||||
| 17 | Seal Matrix of Stone Priory | 2011 | SUR-B74173 | |||
| 18 | 2011 | LANCUM-65C1B4 | ||||
| 19 | Leopard Cup | 2002 | NMGW-9A9D16 | |||
| 20 | Tisbury Hoard | 2011 | WILT-E8DA70 | |||
| 21 | Saltfleetby Spindle Whorl | 2010 | LIN-D92A22 | |||
| 22 | Milton Keynes Hoard | 2000 | PAS-833958 | |||
| 23 | Nether Stowey Hoard | 2008 | SOM-849CA3 | |||
| 24 | Marcus Aurelius Bust | 1976 | BERK-E24C84 | |||
| 25 | 2009 | SOM-5B9453 | ||||
| 26 | River Stour Pilgrims' Badges | ? | PAS-B1BD65 | |||
| 27 | French Forgeries | 2010 | HAMP-E4E185 | |||
| 28 | Holderness Cross | 1965 | YORYM214 | |||
| 29 | 2008–2009 | SWYOR-F86A02 SWYOR-3B5652 | ||||
| 30 | Sedgeford Hoard | 2003 | PAS-B1F065 | |||
| 31 | Witch Bottle | 2003 | LIN-49FC12 | |||
| 32 | Hackney Hoard | 2007 | PAS-867115 | |||
| 33 | Llanbedrgoch Viking Finds | 2007 | NMGW-C5EE45 | |||
| 34 | Billingford Amulet | 2003 | NMS-7BEED8 | |||
| 35 | Durham Assemblage | 1986–2002 | NCL-2C40A4 FAPJW-AB59E5 | |||
| 36 | Langstone Hoard | 2007 | NMGW-9C0216 | |||
| 37 | Anarevito Gold Stater | 2010 | FASAM-FCD3A2 | |||
| 38 | Hoard of Spanish-American Doubloons | 2010–2011 | LIN-55BFE7 | |||
| 39 | Beddingham Nose | 2009 | SUSS-05BC17 | |||
| 40 | Putney Brothel Token | 2011 | LON-E98F21 | |||
| 41 | Cloth Seals from Durham | 2008 | PUBLIC-9B0430 | |||
| 42 | Cautopates Figurine | 2007 | SWYOR-9FCBB3 | |||
| 43 | Tanworth Comb | 2006 | WAW-250340 | |||
| 44 | Rochester Cuff-link | 2001 | BM-CAA2C7 | |||
| 45 | First World War Medal | 2009 | SUR-5ADA50 | |||
| 46 | 2004 | PAS-F070D5 | ||||
| 47 | Pitminster Toy Cannon | 2003 | SOM-D20D91 | |||
| 48 | Epsom Harness Boss | 2009 | SUR-23EF78 | |||
| 49 | 2009 | ESS-2C4836 | ||||
| 50 | Roman Slave Shackle | 1992 | HAMP-C45106 | |||
At the beginning of the series viewers were invited to submit photographs of objects that they had found in England or Wales, so that experts from the British Museum could select the most interesting object, to be announced during the final episode.[2] [15]
The viewer-submitted object chosen as the most interesting by the panel was a small medieval bronze ornament in the form of an open book that was found in a field by the Pilgrims' Way at Bentley, Hampshire in 1997 (PAS record: HAMP527). The open pages of the book are engraved with the Latin inscription Pax tibi, Marce, Evangelista meus meaning "Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist". The traditional symbol of the Republic of Venice and the city of Venice is a winged lion (symbol of Mark the Evangelist), which is often depicted with one of its paws on an open book showing this same inscription, which suggests that the bronze book may have been a pilgrim's souvenir from Venice.[16]