Dean Crawford — Living among the Dobunni: introduction

Dean Crawford,
photo: Roy Caddick

I remember reading that most of what we now know about Dobunni coin distribution patterns is due to Dean Crawford's recording of his finds. The English do understatement better that anyone. People might think that if other detectorists reported their Celtic coin finds as well, then the same thing could be said for them and other tribes' coinages. Think again. If Dean was a fisherman, the fish would be leaping into his boat. Dean's success is far more than "having the knack", it requires a lot of research and the accumulation of many years experience of his geographic area, something very few archaeologists can boast.

British Celtic coins have always been the provenance of the amateur and the first typology of the issues was undertaken by John Evans FSA FGS, in 1864, long before he became the president of the Society of Antiquaries; his knighthood and recognition as one of the fathers of modern archaeology. Metal detectorists also owe a lot to Evans: He argued, successfully, for finders to be rewarded the full value of anything claimed by the Crown under the, then, Treasure Trove laws.

In this series, Dean will share some of his experiences, coins and actual archaeological sites that he has reported and will have much to say about the successes and the failures connected with our studies of his tribe.

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