Brancaster Roman finds lost by Norfolk County Council

Now they have been lost again... by experts from Norfolk County Council's team assigned to record ancient relics for posterity.

A coin dating back to the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius in 175AD, along with a horse boss or harness decoration from the same period were found on Mike Walsh's land near Brancaster in 2018.

The coin, left and decorative horse boss found on Mike Walsh's land (Image: Mike Walsh)

In December of that year, Mr Walsh took them to the Norfolk Historic Environmental Service in Norwich, which is run by the county council.

Officials kept the items, promising they would be returned after being catalogued and drawn for posterity.

But almost six years later, they appear unable to locate them.

Mike Walsh, whose Roman finds have been mislaid by Norfolk Historic Environmental Service (Image: Chris Bishop)

"The pandemic intervened so it was some time before it was practical to try to collect them," said retired advertising executive Mr Walsh, 74.

"After repeated attempts over the past three or so years I still don’t have the items despite the reassurances that they are misplaced and will be found.

A bust of the empress Faustina Sestertius in The Louvre, in Paris (Image: ChrisO/Wikipedia)

Mr Walsh said the coin, stamped with the head of Faustina Sestertius - or Faustina the Younger, the wife of Marcus Aurelius - was in good condition.

"The land it was found on had never been ploughed or had chemical fertiliser on it," he added.

"They thought the horse boss was unusual, so they wanted to keep it to illustrate it."

Marble bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse (Image: Daniel Martin/Wikipedia)

The coin is worth in the region of £100 to £200.

The finds were not old enough and did not contain enough precious metal to be considered 'treasure', which must to be declared to the local coroner.

But Mr Walsh took the items in to officials to see if they would be of wider archaeological interest.

He said that their apparent disappearance had left him more concerned by the principle of their loss than their value.

"With the extensive British Museum thefts at the back of my mind at what point do I report the items as stolen rather than missing?" he said.

"Is the loss of items in museums and related institutions more widespread than just the British Museum?"

The British Museum in London (Image: Luke Massey and the Greater London National Park City Initiative)

Last summer, it emerged more than 2,000 items had gone missing from the British Museum in London, many of which were believed to have been sold on eBay.

More than 600 have been recovered, while a former curator has been ordered to return any still in his possession by the High Court but has not been charged with any offence and has denied any wrongdoing.

READ MORE: What happened after the Romans left Norfolk?

READ MORE: Unlocking the legends of Norfolk's ancient Roman Roads

Numismatist Adrian Marsden from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service (Image: Steve Adams)

An e-mail to Mr Walsh from Adrian Marsden at the Norfolk Historic Environment Service (Image: Supplied)

An e-mail to Mr Walsh from Adrian Marsden at the Norfolk Historic Environment Service (Image: Supplied)

EMAIL CHAIN OF EXCUSES

A chain of emails reveals nothing but excuses.

In November, 2020, Mr Walsh was told by official Adrian Marsden the finds were locked in an office and "inaccessible".

A few e-mails later, in August, 2023, Mr Marsden - a numismatist or coin expert working for the historic environmental service - assured Mr Walsh the items had not been lost, but had been "passed out of my care".

Last month, Mr Marsden promised the items had not been stolen but had been "misplaced".

An e-mail from Mr Walsh attempting to chase up his finds (Image: Supplied)

An e-mail thanking Mr Walsh for his patience from Adrian Marsden at the Norfolk Historic Environment Service, who assures him the items have simply been misplaced (Image: Supplied)

He added: "I do continue to keep my eye open and will alert my colleagues and ask them to have another hunt."

Norfolk County Council has been approached for comment.

COAST WAS ONCE ROMAN STRONGHOLD

Part of the ancient Roman fort site at Brancaster (Image: Chris Bishop)

The land where the coin and horse boss were found lies close to Branodunum, a Roman fort which once stretched across six acres with a ditch, earthen ramparts and 10ft-thick walls to protect its garrison.

It was one of 11 forts built around the east and south coasts of England by the Romans in the 3rd century more than 200 years after they first set foot on our shores in 55BC.

Known as Saxon Shore Forts, they were used to protect and control shipping and trade around the coast and repel invaders.

Branodunum stretched down towards the shoreline in Roman times (Image: Chris Bishop)

They remained in use until the Romans withdrew in 410AD because their army was needed to defend its homeland.

Today little of Branodunum's earthworks remain, while the remains of a civilian settlement to the west lies under a 1970s housing estate named after it.

A housing estate was built on what part of the wider Roman settlement of Branodunum in the 1970s (Image: Chris Bishop)