One of Shropshire's most successful metal detectorists will give historical society talk

By day, Andy Bassett helps runs Severn Valley Alpacas, near Bridgnorth, but during the evenings and weekends he can be found scouring the south Shropshire countryside for rare finds.

Andy has found enough coins, brooches and historical items in the area to fill several boxes using his trusty detector. 

These include republican Roman and medieval coinage as well as the "Chelmarsh medieval coin hoard" comprising of 153 Henry III silver pennies dating back to 1248 as well as a 700-year-old papal seal.

Possibly his most intriguing find was a ring dated to between 1100 and 1250 that is from the period of the Knights Templar. They were a ferocious band of Roman Catholic warrior monks who fought in the Crusades. But they faded away and have since become the stuff of many a conspiracy legend. 

Andy is also a volunteer worker with the British Museum, a keen historian and has a specific interest in Iron Age.

After agreeing with landowners he uses a detector that is able to pick out areas that have been lived in. He says he could not have done it without their agreement and says people love to know about their and the local area's connections to deep history.

He is now kickstarting the the 2025/2026 winter lecture series of the Bridgnorth and District Historical Society.

His talk is on Monday, October 20 at 7.30pm at the Community Centre, Low Town Bridgnorth.

"Andy will be explaining local history and sharing his discoveries of recent found antiquities, which is the focus of his historical passion," said a spokesperson for the society.

All are welcome to the talk.