# Britain's Secret Treasures

Britain's Secret Treasures is a British documentary shown on ITV hosted by Michael Buerk and Bettany Hughes. The programme features fifty archaeological discoveries that have been made in England, Wales and Scotland by members of the public. 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.
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. 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.
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.

## Episodes
### Series 1

| Episode | Air Date | Contributors | Objects |
| 1 | 16 July 2012 | John McCarthy Saul David | 45–50 |
| 2 | 17 July 2012 | Michael Portillo Nicky Clarke Mary Ann Ochota Claire Barratt | 38–44 |
| 3 | 18 July 2012 | Michael Portillo John McCarthy John Sergeant | 27–37 |
| 4 | 19 July 2012 | Dave Crisp (finder of the Frome Hoard) Brian Blessed Mary Ann Ochota Gethin Jones | 19–26 |
| 5 | 20 July 2012 | Dan Lobb Mary Ann Ochota Anita Rani Jon Culshaw | 11–18 |
| 6 | 22 July 2012 | William Roache Michael Portillo | 1–10 |

### Series 2

| Episode | Air Date | Contributors |
| 1 | 17 October 2013 | Mary Ann Ochota James Purefoy |
| 2 | 24 October 2013 | Jim Moir Tom Holland Tanni Grey-Thompson |
| 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 | Katherine Jenkins Mary Ann Ochota |

## List of objects

| Number | Object | Date | Where Found | When Found | PAS Record |
| 1 | Happisburgh Handaxe | 800,000 – 600,000 BC | Happisburgh, Norfolk | 2000 | NMS-ECAA52 |
| 2 | Ringlemere Gold Cup | 1700–1500 BC | Ringlemere barrow, Kent | 2001 | PAS-BE40C2 |
| 3 | Staffordshire Hoard | 550–650 | Hammerwich, Staffordshire | 2009 | WMID-0B5416 |
| 4 | Chalgrove Hoard | 251–279 | Chalgrove, Oxfordshire | 2003 | PAS-879F02 |
| 5 | Boar Badge of Richard III | 1470–1485 | Sheepy, Leicestershire | 2009 | LEIC-A6C834 |
| 6 | Hallaton Hoard | c. 400 | Hallaton, Leicestershire | 2000 | PAS-984616 |
| 7 | Staffordshire Moorlands Pan | 100–199 | Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire | 2003 | WMID-3FE965 |
| 8 | Baldehilde Seal | 600–700 | Broadland, Norfolk | 1999 | PAS-8709C3 |
| 9 | Crosby Garrett Helmet | 75–250 | Crosby Garrett, Cumbria | 2010 | LANCUM-E48D73 |
| 10 | Vale of York Hoard | c. 928 | Harrogate, North Yorkshire | 2007 | SWYOR-AECB53 |
| 11 | Near Lewes Hoard | 1500–1100 BC | Lewes, East Sussex | 2011 | SUSS-C5D042 |
| 12 | Blair Drummond Hoard | 300–100 BC | Blair Drummond, Stirlingshire | 2009 | N/A |
| 13 | North West Essex Ring | 580–650 | Uttlesford, Essex | 2011 | ESS-E396B1 |
| 14 | Ashwell Hoard | 250–350 | Baldock, Hertfordhire | 2002 | PAS-9708E3 |
| 15 | Winchester Hoard | c. 100 BC | Winchester, Hampshire | 2000 | PAS-845331 |
| 16 | Carlton-in-Lindrick knight | 1150–1250 | Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire | 2004 | SWYOR-D37EE5 |
| 17 | Seal Matrix of Stone Priory | 1200–1300 | Weybridge, Surrey | 2011 | SUR-B74173 |
| 18 | Silverdale Hoard | 900–910 | Silverdale, Lancashire | 2011 | LANCUM-65C1B4 |
| 19 | Leopard Cup | 1–99 | Llantilio Pertholey, Monmouthshire | 2002 | NMGW-9A9D16 |
| 20 | Tisbury Hoard | 800–600 BC | Tisbury, Wiltshire | 2011 | WILT-E8DA70 |
| 21 | Saltfleetby Spindle Whorl | 1000–1100 | Saltfleetby, Lincolnshire | 2010 | LIN-D92A22 |
| 22 | Milton Keynes Hoard | 1150–750 BC | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | 2000 | PAS-833958 |
| 23 | Nether Stowey Hoard | c. 1633 | Nether Stowey, Somerset | 2008 | SOM-849CA3 |
| 24 | Marcus Aurelius Bust | 100–200 | Brackley, Northamptonshire | 1976 | BERK-E24C84 |
| 25 | Frome Hoard | c. 293 | Frome, Somerset | 2009 | SOM-5B9453 |
| 26 | River Stour Pilgrims' Badges | 1300–1500 | Canterbury, Kent | ? | PAS-B1BD65 |
| 27 | French Forgeries | 1711 | Bishops Waltham, Hampshire | 2010 | HAMP-E4E185 |
| 28 | Holderness Cross | 600–650 | Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire | 1965 | YORYM214 |
| 29 | West Yorkshire Hoard | 900–1000 | Leeds, West Yorkshire | 2008–2009 | SWYOR-F86A02 SWYOR-3B5652 |
| 30 | Sedgeford Hoard | c. 100 BC | Sedgeford, Norfolk | 2003 | PAS-B1F065 |
| 31 | Witch Bottle | 1820–1880 | Navenby, Lincolnshire | 2003 | LIN-49FC12 |
| 32 | Hackney Hoard | 1854–1913 | Hackney, London | 2007 | PAS-867115 |
| 33 | Llanbedrgoch Viking Finds | 600–1000 | Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey | 2007 | NMGW-C5EE45 |
| 34 | Billingford Amulet | 43–200 | Billingford, Breckland, Norfolk | 2003 | NMS-7BEED8 |
| 35 | Durham Assemblage | 90–400 | Piercebridge, County Durham | 1986–2002 | NCL-2C40A4 FAPJW-AB59E5 |
| 36 | Langstone Hoard | 25–75 | Ringland, Newport | 2007 | NMGW-9C0216 |
| 37 | Anarevito Gold Stater | 10 BC – AD 20 | Dover, Kent | 2010 | FASAM-FCD3A2 |
| 38 | Hoard of Spanish-American Doubloons | 1790–1801 | North Kesteven, Lincolnshire | 2010–2011 | LIN-55BFE7 |
| 39 | Beddingham Nose | 1500–1700 | Beddingham, East Sussex | 2009 | SUSS-05BC17 |
| 40 | Putney Brothel Token | 27 BC – 37 AD | Putney, London | 2011 | LON-E98F21 |
| 41 | Cloth Seals from Durham | 1550–1650 | Elvet, Durham, County Durham | 2008 | PUBLIC-9B0430 |
| 42 | Cautopates Figurine | 43–307 | Newton Kyme, North Yorkshire | 2007 | SWYOR-9FCBB3 |
| 43 | Tanworth Comb | 25–70 | Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire | 2006 | WAW-250340 |
| 44 | Rochester Cuff-link | 1660–1700 | Rochester, Kent | 2001 | BM-CAA2C7 |
| 45 | First World War Medal | 1919 | Limpsfield, Surrey | 2009 | SUR-5ADA50 |
| 46 | Sedgeford Torc | c.200 BC | Sedgeford, Norfolk | 2004 | PAS-F070D5 |
| 47 | Pitminster Toy Cannon | 1700–1750 | Pitminster, Somerset | 2003 | SOM-D20D91 |
| 48 | Epsom Harness Boss | 1603–1664 | Epsom, Surrey | 2009 | SUR-23EF78 |
| 49 | Hockley Pendant | 1500–1550 | Hockley, Essex | 2009 | ESS-2C4836 |
| 50 | Roman Slave Shackle | 200–400 | Headbourne Worthy, Hampshire | 1992 | HAMP-C45106 |

## Objects submitted by viewers

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.
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.
* Front of medieval bronze book
* Back of medieval bronze book