Month: June 2014

The story of the famous Middleham Jewel and how the lives of an whole family were transformed as a consequence of this single metal detector find. This story starts in Barnard Castle at a little antiques and collectables shop called The Mudlark, which belonged to Ted and Vera Seaton. They had moved to Barnard Castle after Ted had been made redundant because of the recession of the seventies. With a young daughter to take care of, they decided to become self-employed. In February 1978 they had sold their house in Gateshead-on-Tyne to buy the shop, using their collectables as the stock. Ted was an amateur historian and archaeologist as well as a enthusiastic metal detectorist. He was a modern detective who believed in using scientific gadgets that could help in his search for artefacts that would tell him a story. He was a gifted man who comprehended the ways people lived in the past, and he was able to read the land, as it were. He walked the countryside and tuned into it using his psychic abilities as well as taking in the visual evidence. He could see where there used to be streams, dwellings and bridle paths that were now concealed under vegetation and imperceptible to the untrained eye. He was sensitive to good and bad vibrations in a given location. He found and donated many artefacts to local museums. He was also actively involved in archaeological digs when help was required. On the 2nd of September 1985, while out metal detecting with two of his friends, Ted unearthed what became known as the Middleham Jewel. After it was declared not to be treasure trove, it was returned to him. At this time, he and his family and friends had no idea how it would change their lives.