A predominantly urban county. Detecting is limited to the rural fringes, but Roman roads cross the county and the Mersey valley has some productive land.
FROM THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
Selected archaeological finds from the PAS records for Greater Manchester.
EARLY MEDIEVALA copper alloy penannular brooch of c.9-10th century date. The brooch is sub-circular with a plain frame, oval in cross-section, which expands forming two…
Explore this findPhoto: The Portable Antiquities Scheme · CC-BY
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
MEDIEVALTreasure case 2022 T625 Description: A scattered hoard of four medieval coins, dating to the 14th century.
Explore this findPhoto: National Museums Liverpool · CC-BY-SA
Licence label and image metadata on the linked PAS record.
No county-linked FLO profile is listed here. Browse the FLO directory to check reporting contacts and area coverage.
Millstone Grit and Coal Measures under most of the urban area. River Mersey, Irwell and Irk valleys have alluvial deposits. Rural fringe has glacial till.
Mersey valley rural farmland, fringe fields near Pennine foothills, fields adjacent to Roman road network (Watling Street north)
Roman material near Castlefield (Mamucium – Roman Manchester), medieval material in rural fringe areas, post-medieval domestic finds
Roman Manchester (Mamucium fort) is one of the most significant Roman sites in the North West. Material from the fort’s vicus has been found in the surrounding fields.
Focus entirely on the rural fringes south towards Cheshire and north towards Lancashire. The Mersey valley is worth targeting near Cheadle and Sale.
You can detect on private land in Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester 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.
Greater Manchester 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 625 database records representing 2,507 recorded objects for Greater Manchester, 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.
Council rules differ by borough. Manchester and Salford have published restrictions; contact the council responsible for your chosen park or open space for the latest conditions.
PAS data from finds.org.uk. Last checked 2 November 2026.
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