For Landowners
Welcome to The Soil Searchers – Trusted by Landowners Across the South of England.
If you are a farmer, estate manager, or landowner considering allowing responsible metal detecting on your land, we would be delighted to partner with you.
The Soil Searchers is a well-established, membership-based club with a proud history of organising highly respected digs since 2016. What began with just ten members on a Sunday has grown into a thriving community with hundreds of active members and over 8,000 Facebook followers. We have an excellent reputation with landowners—from small working farms to large rural estates—and we tailor every single event to meet your specific agricultural, livestock, and access requirements.
Our promise is simple: we treat your land with the utmost respect, and we leave your fields as good as—or often better than—we found them.
Why Partner With Us? (The Benefits)
This section is designed to give you all the information you need to see how a metal detecting event can complement your current farming or land management operations.
- NCMD Compliance: We are a well-organised community that always puts responsible detecting first. As a recognised National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD) Online Detecting Group, we strictly follow and actively promote their Code of Conduct.
- A Sizeable Financial Return: Generate excellent revenue when your land is not actively in use (for example, when it has just been cropped or is lying fallow).
- Prompt Payment: Payment is made on the day in cash, or via bank transfer shortly after.
- Bonus Income from High-Value Finds: Under our strict club rules and landowner agreements, you are entitled to a 50% share of any high-value finds or official Treasure discovered on your land.
- Discover Your Land's History: It is fascinating to see what has happened on your land over the centuries. As standard, we send you a detailed report and photographs of significant items unearthed during the event.
- Free Field Cleaning: Our detectorists act as the "cleaner fish" of the fields, removing harmful modern rubbish and scrap metal as they go, which helps reduce punctures and damage to your expensive farm machinery.
- Flexible Acreage: We consider land of all sizes, though we generally require access to a minimum of 50 acres to run a successful, well-spaced event.
Further Reading
Video: Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales (Credit P.A.S.)
How It Works – A Seamless, Managed Process
We handle everything so you don't have to. From the first handshake to the final gate being locked, here is what you can expect:
1. The Initial Meeting & Agreement Prior to any event, we arrange a completely no-obligation meeting to discuss your requirements. We want to understand exactly what you need from us so we can exceed your expectations. Once we agree on the details, we sign a straightforward e-contract. This protects both parties and ensures absolute clarity on land boundaries and the 50/50 split of significant finds.
2. Strict Attendance Limits We operate on a strict 1-person-to-1-acre ratio to keep group sizes sensible. For example, if you make 100 acres available, a maximum of 100 detectorists will attend. We never overwhelm your land.
3. On the Day: Complete Event Management
- Early Arrival: Our team is the first to arrive to safely manage and organise all vehicle parking.
- Active Marshalling: Our marshals patrol the fields for the entire duration of the dig to ensure compliance.
- Strict Digging Rules: Detectorists only dig small, plug-style holes when they hit a signal. We operate a zero-tolerance policy for failing to backfill holes correctly. Anyone who breaks this rule is immediately removed, though our strong focus on education and compliance makes this incredibly rare.
- Packing Up: Our team is the last to leave. We ensure all rubbish is responsibly disposed of, the fields are clear, and all gates are secured as required.
4. The Follow-Up Shortly after the event, you will receive an email containing a detailed report of significant finds, complete with photographs and the historical identification of the items unearthed on your land.
Honest Finds & Treasure Items
We pride ourselves on transparency, honesty, and strictly following the law.
- Treasure Act 1996: Any item suspected of being official Treasure is immediately reported to the local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO). If declared Treasure by the coroner, the item is claimed by the Crown. The acquiring museum then purchases the item, and the proceeds are divided 50/50 between you (the landowner) and the finder. You will be notified immediately if a hoard or potential Treasure is discovered on your land.
- Disclaimed Treasure: If the Crown disclaims a Treasure item (meaning no museum wishes to acquire it), it is returned. With your permission, the item is then sold or professionally valued, and the proceeds are split equally 50/50.
- High-Value Non-Treasure: Any item discovered that exceeds an agreed monetary threshold (detailed in our initial contract) will also be split 50/50 between the landowner and the finder.
- The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS): We strongly encourage all our members to report their finds to the local FLO, who works alongside the British Museum to record archaeological objects and advance the historical knowledge of the UK.
Complete Peace of Mind (Insurance & Compliance)
We do not take risks with your livelihood.
- Individual Member Coverage: All our members are required to be affiliated with the National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD), which provides them with individual public liability insurance.
- Event Organisers' Insurance: The Soil Searchers is a highly professional operation. We are fully insured with £2,000,000 Organisers' Public Liability Insurance.
- Employers' Liability Insurance: We also carry £10,000,000 Employers' Liability Insurance.
- Products Liability Insurance: We hold £2,000,000 in Products Liability Insurance.
Please contact us if you require further information or copies of our official insurance certificates.
Recent Success of One of Our Members
Get in Touch Today
Let’s uncover history together.
We can discuss liability, finds agreements, and exactly how our events are managed so that you feel completely comfortable with how your land will be treated. If you have land available and want to earn extra revenue while exploring its history, we would love to hear from you!
Please let us know your location, rough acreage, and any key seasonal considerations, and we will get back to you promptly.
Email
Landowner enquiries contact Gary John Franklin:
Mobile Phone
07855 354 021
Registered Office
The Soil Searchers Ltd
71-75 Shelton Street
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom