A county with a rich medieval heritage centred on Durham City. The Tees valley and coastal plain offer the best detecting, with Roman fort material from the Wall and Dere Street corridor.
FROM THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
Selected archaeological finds from the PAS records for Durham.
MEDIEVALA medieval silver cut penny from the reign of Henry III (AD1216-1272). Probably Class 5g (North v1, no. 997) dated 1258-1265, but may be…
Explore this findPhoto: Durham County Council · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
ROMANA complete late Roman silver finger ring of the ‘Brancaster’ type, dating to c.AD 300 - 450.
Explore this findPhoto: Durham County Council · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
No clubs are currently listed in Durham. Browse the wider clubs directory for nearby options.
No county-linked FLO profile is listed here. Browse the FLO directory to check reporting contacts and area coverage.
Durham has a coastline, and beach detecting follows different rules to farmland. Most foreshore between the high and low water marks in England is Crown Estate land, and the Crown Estate operates a general permission for recreational detecting on much of its managed foreshore, though you should check the current terms. Council-owned beaches often need the local authority’s permission, and some beaches are privately owned or leased. Always check for scheduled monuments, SSSIs and local byelaws before detecting, and never detect where it is signposted as prohibited.
Carboniferous limestone in the west, Coal Measures in the east (largely industrial), Magnesian Limestone ridge in the east giving good preservation. River terrace gravels along the Tees and Wear.
Tees valley arable farmland, Magnesian Limestone ridge fields, fields adjacent to Dere Street (Roman road) and Hadrian’s Wall in the west
Roman military material, medieval monastic items near Durham Cathedral area, post-medieval material from former farming communities
Roman finds from the Dere Street corridor are consistent. Medieval material associated with the Bishopric of Durham has been found in the Wear valley.
The Magnesian Limestone ridge is underdetected compared to southern chalk counties but offers comparable preservation. Worth targeting systematically.
You can detect on private land in Durham with the landowner’s permission, and on much of the Crown Estate foreshore if you are on the coast. 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 Durham 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.
Durham 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 2,427 database records representing 3,535 recorded objects for Durham, 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.
Check directly with the council or landowner managing the site. Public access to parks or beaches does not automatically authorise detecting or digging.
PAS data from finds.org.uk. Last checked 2 November 2026.
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