A county of two halves – the acidic limestone plateau of the Peak District and the more productive river valleys and coal measure farmland of the south. Roman roads and forts are a key feature.
FROM THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
Selected archaeological finds from the PAS records for Derbyshire.
POST MEDIEVALA cast iron possible cannon ball, which, judging from the size and weight, was probably for use in a Falcon or Falconet or similar…
Explore this findPhoto: Philip Holmes / West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
POST MEDIEVALA solid lead figurine, perhaps a toy, in the form of a human face.
Explore this findPhoto: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
Carboniferous limestone in the Peak (good preservation where soils are deep enough). Millstone Grit is acidic and poor. Southern Derbyshire has Triassic mudstones and river gravels along the Trent, Derwent and Dove.
River Dove and Derwent valley arable land, fields along Roman roads (Ryknield Street, Batham Gate), southern Derbyshire farmland
Roman coins, brooches and military fittings, lead mining-related artefacts (medieval and post-medieval), medieval dress accessories, Bronze Age metalwork in the river valleys
Several Roman coin hoards from the Trent valley area. Medieval lead seals from the Peak District.
The south of the county is where the detecting is. Target the river terraces along the Dove and Derwent – these were natural communication routes used from prehistoric times.
You can detect on private land in Derbyshire with the landowner’s permission. You must avoid scheduled monuments, SSSIs and other protected sites. Joining a local club is the easiest way to reach permissioned land.
Yes. Metal detecting is legal in Derbyshire on land where you have the landowner’s permission, as long as you avoid protected sites and follow the law on reporting treasure and recording finds.
Derbyshire is covered by a Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer who records finds made by the public. See the FLO section on this page for contact details, or search finds.org.uk.
PAS lists 4,781 database records representing 9,774 recorded objects for Derbyshire, checked 2 November 2026. These are recorded entries rather than a count of every find made. The period and object-type categories shown in the PAS section are selected, incomplete lists.
Some Derbyshire authorities refuse detecting in their parks, while Chesterfield advertises permission for certain land under a paid scheme. Check the latest terms for the specific location.
PAS data from finds.org.uk. Last checked 2 November 2026.
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