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 Objects1 16 July 2012 John McCarthySaul David 45–502 17 July 2012 Michael PortilloNicky ClarkeMary Ann OchotaClaire Barratt 38–443 18 July 2012 Michael PortilloJohn McCarthyJohn Sergeant 27–374 19 July 2012 Dave Crisp (finder of the Frome Hoard)Brian BlessedMary Ann OchotaGethin Jones 19–265 20 July 2012 Dan LobbMary Ann OchotaAnita RaniJon Culshaw 11–186 22 July 2012 William RoacheMichael Portillo 1–10

Series 2 Episode Air Date Contributors Objects1 17 October 2013 Mary Ann OchotaJames Purefoy 2 24 October 2013 Jim MoirTom HollandTanni Grey-Thompson 3 31 October 2013 Russell GrantTony BakerThomas LittletonSuzannah Lipscomb 4 7 November 2013 5 14 November 2013 John PrescottMary Ann OchotaSuzannah Lipscomb 6 21 November 2013 Mariella FrostrupEkow EshunSuzannah Lipscomb 7 28 November 2013 8 5 December 2013 Katherine JenkinsMary Ann Ochota

List of objects

Number Image Object Date Where Found When Found PAS Record 1 Happisburgh Handaxe 2000 NMS-ECAA52 2 Ringlemere Gold Cup 2001 PAS-BE40C2 3 Staffordshire Hoard 2009 WMID-0B5416 4 Chalgrove Hoard 2003 PAS-879F02 5 Boar Badge of Richard III 2009 LEIC-A6C834 6 Hallaton Hoard 2000 PAS-984616 7 Staffordshire Moorlands Pan 2003 WMID-3FE965 8 Baldehilde Seal 1999 PAS-8709C3 9 Crosby Garrett Helmet 2010 LANCUM-E48D73 10 Vale of York Hoard 2007 SWYOR-AECB53 11 Near Lewes Hoard 2011 SUSS-C5D042 12 Blair Drummond Hoard 2009 N/A 13 North West Essex Ring 2011 ESS-E396B1 14 Ashwell Hoard 2002 PAS-9708E3 15 Winchester Hoard 2000 PAS-845331 16 Carlton-in-Lindrick knight 2004 SWYOR-D37EE5 17 Seal Matrix of Stone Priory 2011 SUR-B74173 18 Silverdale Hoard 2011 LANCUM-65C1B4 19 Leopard Cup 2002 NMGW-9A9D16 20 Tisbury Hoard 2011 WILT-E8DA70 21 Saltfleetby Spindle Whorl 2010 LIN-D92A22 22 Milton Keynes Hoard 2000 PAS-833958 23 Nether Stowey Hoard 2008 SOM-849CA3 24 Marcus Aurelius Bust 1976 BERK-E24C84 25 Frome Hoard 2009 SOM-5B9453 26 River Stour Pilgrims' Badges ? PAS-B1BD65 27 French Forgeries 2010 HAMP-E4E185 28 Holderness Cross 1965 YORYM214 29 West Yorkshire Hoard 2008–2009 SWYOR-F86A02SWYOR-3B5652 30 Sedgeford Hoard 2003 PAS-B1F065 31 Witch Bottle 2003 LIN-49FC12 32 Hackney Hoard 2007 PAS-867115 33 Llanbedrgoch Viking Finds 2007 NMGW-C5EE45 34 Billingford Amulet 2003 NMS-7BEED8 35 Durham Assemblage 1986–2002 NCL-2C40A4FAPJW-AB59E5 36 Langstone Hoard 2007 NMGW-9C0216 37 Anarevito Gold Stater 2010 FASAM-FCD3A2 38 Hoard of Spanish-American Doubloons 2010–2011 LIN-55BFE7 39 Beddingham Nose 2009 SUSS-05BC17 40 Putney Brothel Token 2011 LON-E98F21 41 Cloth Seals from Durham 2008 PUBLIC-9B0430 42 Cautopates Figurine 2007 SWYOR-9FCBB3 43 Tanworth Comb 2006 WAW-250340 44 Rochester Cuff-link 2001 BM-CAA2C7 45 First World War Medal 2009 SUR-5ADA50 46 Sedgeford Torc 2004 PAS-F070D5 47 Pitminster Toy Cannon 2003 SOM-D20D91 48 Epsom Harness Boss 2009 SUR-23EF78 49 Hockley Pendant 2009 ESS-2C4836 50 Roman Slave Shackle 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.

See also A History of the World in 100 Objects Our Top Ten Treasures

References

External links Portable Antiquities Scheme site, including episode guides with brief descriptions of all fifty objects