Have you ever been out in the Great British countryside and come across an old coin or piece of pottery? Britain’s historical past means that buried treasure and precious metals can be found in all manner of places up and down the country, with 8,775 found in total since 2012. Where in the UK has the most chance of finding buried treasure though? We’ve pulled together data from the UK Government on treasure and portable antiquities statistics to find out just that!
You will have the best chance of finding treasure on the Isle of Wight
- Isle of Wight – 129.3 finds per 100,000 people
- Norfolk – 100.3 finds per 100,000 people
- Dorset – 87.2 finds per 100,000 people
Delving deep into the data and statistics we found that you will have the best chance to find treasure on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. There were 184 finds on the island since 2012, which works out at 129.3 per 100,000 people. The island has a rich history dating all the way back to before the Bronze Age, so there is probably plenty more treasure out there to be dug up!
In second was Norfolk, with 100.3 finds per 100,000 people since 2012, with notable finds including a Medieval chandelier and Bronze Age sword. The county was a rich Anglo county and has been well populated by various groups throughout history so it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s such a treasure trove.
Dorset took third place with 87.2 discoveries per 100,000 people, with the first settlement in the county dating all the way back to 12,500 BC.
Norfolk was home to the most treasure finds since 2012
- Norfolk – 917 treasures
- Suffolk – 581 treasures
- Essex – 570 treasures
Overall, the county with the most treasure finds was Norfolk with 917 since 2012. As we’ve already seen, Norfolk’s rich history has seen finds from right throughout history in the county.
Neighbouring Suffolk came in second with 581 finds, while Essex took third place with 570.
Discover how much treasure was found in your local area below!
Methodology
Data for the number of treasures and portable antiquities found in the UK between 2012 and 2019 was taken from the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport ‘Treasure and portable antiquities statistics’ collection.
These were matched with ‘Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’ data from ONS to calculate how likely of a chance an individual would have at finding treasure in each region, per 100,000 people in the population of that area.