Strange Signals: 7 of the Weirdest Things Found Metal Detecting in Britain

LP Metal Detecting Halloween Special 🎃

Most detectorists head out hoping for a hammered coin, Roman brooch, buckle or perhaps that once-in-a-lifetime piece of gold.

But every now and then, a signal leads to something completely different.

A Roman curse scratched into lead. A gold ring decorated with a human skull. A bottle containing hair and a human tooth. Even ancient burials that have remained beneath our feet for more than a thousand years.

For our Halloween special, we've taken a look at seven real metal detecting discoveries from Britain that are strange, fascinating and, in some cases, just a little unsettling.

And yes — these actually happened.

1. A Roman Curse Hidden Beneath a Suffolk Field

Imagine expecting another piece of lead and discovering that somebody wrote a curse on it nearly 2,000 years ago.

In 2017, a metal detectorist searching outside the scheduled area of a Roman villa at Lidgate in Suffolk discovered a small strip of lead measuring around 90mm across.

It had been inscribed and then deliberately folded over twice.

Once specialists examined the object, it became clear this wasn't simply a piece of Roman scrap metal. It was a curse tablet, or defixio.

The surviving inscription begins:

“The rings which have been lost, whether woman or man, whether free or slave…”

It appears to relate to missing or stolen rings, with the writer seemingly calling upon supernatural assistance over their disappearance.

Even the writing itself is unusual. Some of the letters were deliberately inverted or reversed, something sometimes encountered in magical inscriptions.

In Roman Britain, curses weren't necessarily something whispered dramatically around a fire. Curse tablets could be very personal requests concerning theft, relationships, disputes and revenge.

Someone lost their rings.

Someone was very unhappy about it.

And nearly two millennia later, a metal detector found their curse.

The tablet was subsequently donated to Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service.

2. The Gold Ring That Reminds You You're Going to Die

A gold ring is normally a pretty welcome sight appearing from the soil.

This one comes with a slightly darker message.

Metal detectorist David Balfour discovered a gold finger ring in the Carreghofa area of Powys, Wales. On its flat bezel is an engraved human skull, once highlighted with traces of white enamel.

Around the skull are two Latin words:

MEMENTO MORI

The phrase roughly translates as “remember that you must die.”

Cheery.

The ring has been dated to around AD 1550–1650 and is an example of memento mori jewellery.

Death was far more visible in everyday life during this period than it is for most of us today. Memento mori imagery deliberately reminded the wearer of the inevitability of death and the temporary nature of earthly life.

Skulls, skeletons, hourglasses and other symbols of mortality appeared on jewellery, monuments and artwork.

So while today it looks like something specifically designed for Halloween, to the person who originally wore it, the message was considerably more serious.

The ring was later declared Treasure, with Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales documenting the discovery.

3. The Bottle Containing Hair, a Tooth... and Something Else

We're going to confidently say that this isn't something you'd expect to dig up on an average Sunday morning.

In 2021, metal detectorist Chris Langston was searching secluded woodland in Shropshire when he uncovered a glass bottle.

Inside were some rather unusual contents.

Hair, a human tooth and a liquid reported to be urine.

The bottle was reported as dating from somewhere between 1860 and 1900 and was interpreted in news reports as a possible “witch bottle.”

And then the story gets even stranger.

A severed doll's head was reportedly discovered nearby.

The idea of a witch bottle might sound like something invented for a horror film, but there is genuine archaeological evidence for deliberately prepared bottles associated with folk magic and protection.

MOLA has researched historic examples containing combinations of pins, nails, thorns, urine and other personal material. They are often found concealed beneath floors, near doorways and around hearths, although examples have also been recovered from ditches, riverbanks and archaeological sites.

Exactly how individual examples should be interpreted isn't always straightforward, so archaeologists are understandably cautious about automatically labelling every strange filled bottle a “witch bottle”.

But a bottle containing hair and a human tooth found in secluded woodland?

That's still going on the Halloween list.

4. The Signal That Turned Out to Be a Roman Coffin

Some deep signals are horseshoes.

Some are agricultural iron.

Some apparently turn out to be coffins.

In August 2007, a metal detectorist searching farmland with the landowner's permission near Marton-cum-Grafton in North Yorkshire exposed the corner of what appeared to be a lead coffin.

At that point, things understandably became rather more archaeological.

The discovery was reported and an excavation was subsequently undertaken by York Archaeological Trust with funding from English Heritage.

Archaeologists discovered a substantial stone-built burial structure containing a wooden coffin lined with lead.

Inside were the remains of a man believed to have been around 30–45 years old.

The burial was Romano-British and particularly unusual. Burials of this particular stone-cist type are considered rare in Britain, and the addition of a lead-lined coffin made the discovery even more remarkable.

There were no spectacular grave goods.

There didn't need to be.

The signal itself had led directly to a Roman burial that had remained underground for well over a thousand years.

5. “I've Found a Sword – and There's a Hand on the End of It”

There probably aren't many phone calls capable of stopping another detectorist in their tracks quite like this one.

Detectorist Dave Derby was searching a field in Northamptonshire when he received a strong signal.

He initially uncovered an Anglo-Saxon brooch.

Continuing his investigation, he encountered what appeared to be part of an iron sword.

And then human remains.

His subsequent phone call to his son has since provided one of the greatest metal detecting quotes we've ever heard:

“I've found a sword – and there's a hand on the end of it!”

Police attended because human remains had been discovered, but this wasn't a modern crime scene.

It was archaeology.

The discovery became part of the investigation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Whitehall Farm, where archaeological work ultimately revealed multiple burials.

Northamptonshire's Historic Environment Record documents a cemetery with phases dating from the 5th century and the late 6th to early 7th century, including a burial where a sword had been placed beside the deceased.

The wider Whitehall Farm landscape itself has produced extraordinary archaeology, and metal detecting has played an important part in identifying the site.

As for Dave's description of the discovery?

We're not sure anyone is ever beating that.

6. A Roman Gold Charm Created to Protect an Unborn Baby

Not everything associated with ancient magic was about curses.

South of Oxford, a metal detectorist discovered a tiny sheet of gold carrying an inscription written in Greek.

Researchers identified it as a Roman-period magical amulet.

Its purpose was remarkably personal.

The inscription calls upon divine or magical powers to help a woman named Fabia, daughter of Terentia, safely carry her unborn child and bring it to birth.

Roman Inscriptions of Britain describes it as only the third substantial gold amulet known from Britain when published and notes just how unusual the childbirth charm is.

It's an extraordinary little object.

Someone almost two thousand years ago was worried about a mother and her unborn baby. Whether commissioned by Fabia herself, a family member or someone else close to her, somebody went to the trouble of obtaining gold and having a protective magical text written onto it.

It is a reminder that archaeology doesn't simply reveal buildings, battles and emperors.

Sometimes it reveals somebody's fear, hope and desperation in an incredibly personal way.

And eventually, that tiny piece of their story ended up beneath a metal detector coil.

7. The Deep Iron Signal That Revealed the Marlow Warlord

We'll finish with a brilliant example of why sometimes even that questionable deep signal deserves another look.

In 2018, detectorist Sue Washington, detecting with members of Maidenhead Search Society, repeatedly received a large signal from an area near Marlow.

It appeared to be deep iron and initially didn't seem particularly promising.

But the signal bothered her.

On another visit, she decided to investigate.

What emerged were two bronze bowls.

Recognising that the discovery could be significant, Sue stopped digging and the find was reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

That decision proved incredibly important.

Further investigation revealed spearheads and eventually led University of Reading archaeologists to excavate the site.

They uncovered the burial of a man around six feet tall, accompanied by a remarkable collection of grave goods including a sword in a decorated scabbard, spears, bronze and glass vessels and personal objects.

The burial dated to the 6th century AD and had remained undisturbed for more than 1,400 years.

He became known as the Marlow Warlord.

Researchers believe the burial provides important evidence about power and society in the Middle Thames region during the early Anglo-Saxon period.

It's also an excellent example of detectorists and archaeologists working together.

Sue recognised that she'd uncovered something bigger than an isolated find, stopped, reported it and allowed the archaeological context to be properly investigated.

That meant far more of the story could be recovered than the objects alone could ever have told us.

What Is the Strangest Thing You've Ever Found?

Perhaps you've uncovered an object you still can't identify, something unusual that turned out to have a fascinating history, or simply a find that made you wonder how on earth it ended up in the field.

We'd love to see it.

Share your finds with LP Metal Detecting and tell us the story behind your discovery.

And this Halloween, maybe don't ignore that strange signal.

You never know what's down there. 🎃

A Quick Note on Unexpected Archaeological Discoveries

The finds in this article also highlight something important.

If you uncover human remains, a burial, an undisturbed group of objects or something that appears to form part of a significant archaeological deposit, don't simply keep digging.

Stop and seek appropriate advice.

Local archaeological services recommend preserving the context and contacting the relevant Finds Liaison Officer or archaeological service when significant archaeological deposits are encountered. Human remains should not be disturbed and need to be appropriately reported.

Responsible detecting isn't just about recovering an object.

Sometimes leaving it exactly where it is can preserve the much bigger story surrounding it.