We were on a walk in the woods near a stream a week ago and found old pots and brick and an odd shaped thing with holes in the bottom. How can I find out what they are? Ben (11)

Hi Ben, thanks for your question. It’s great to hear about the things you’ve discovered on your walk. I’m not sure I can tell you what they are from your description but I can tell you how you might be able to find out.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme which helps people identify and record finds from England and Wales. If you go their website you will be able to search through the database to see if you can find anything that looks like the objects you found. If you can’t find anything similar you can email your local Finds Liaison Officer with photos of your finds and they should be able to help you identify them.

Answered by:

Dr Claire Corkill

Claire is the Development Manager at the Council for British Archaeology. She grew up on the Isle of Man surrounded by loads of exciting archaeology and studied archaeology at the University of York where she did her PhD in First World War archaeology. Claire has excavated on lots of different sites around the British Isles and was once lucky enough to excavate the site of a coin hoard which led to the discovery of a medieval chapel. When she’s not working Claire loves to explore archaeological sites around Scotland where she now lives. 

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