HAMPSHIRE has been ranked among the best counties in the UK to find buried treasure, according to new research.

Casino.org analysed data from the Reported Treasure Finds page on the Government website.

This was used to find the total reported treasure finds in UK counties between 2012 and 2022.

The Treasure Act defines treasure as finds older than 300 years that include coins, prehistoric metallic objects and artefacts that are at least 10 per cent precious metals such as gold or silver.

Top 10 counties for finding buried treasure in the UK

According to the analysis from Casino.org the UK counties which had the most buried treasure finds between 2012 and 2022 were:

  1. Norfolk - 1,201 cases
  2. Suffolk - 776 cases
  3. Essex - 709 cases
  4. Lincolnshire - 686 cases
  5. Hampshire - 671 cases
  6. Kent - 634 cases
  7. North Yorkshire - 608 cases
  8. Wiltshire and Swindon - 526 cases
  9. Dorset - 425 cases
  10. Oxfordshire - 417 cases

Treasures that have been uncovered in Hampshire between 2012 and 2022 include a golden ring-shaped item retrieved by Waltham Chase detectorist Geoff Slingsby.

This happened back in August 2018, with Slingsby describing the 35mm-long brooch as a "cracking bit of kit".

Alongside that, in 2019 a piece of twisted golden torc from the Bronze Age was discovered in farmland in Swanmore, and a brooch from the 14th Century was found in Hursley.

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What happens if you find buried treasure?

Anyone who thinks they've uncovered a buried treasure has to let their local coroner know within two weeks of the find, so an inquest can be held.

Local and national museums are given the chance to purchase any pieces a coroner rules as treasure.

Following the declarations the finder does not leave empty-handed as they will be paid a sum depending on the haul's value.