This week on the Detecting History Podcast, we're welcoming back one of the best-known faces in the metal detecting community Ellie, better known as Miss Detectorist!

And what a year she's had!

When Ellie last joined us, we were talking about her amazing Roman discoveries and wondering when she'd finally find that elusive gold coin. Well, she's only gone and done it!

Ellie tells us the incredible story behind discovering a 14th-century gold Edward III quarter noble at a Norfolk rally including the moment she realised what was in the hole, the friends who shared the excitement and the fascinating process of having the folded coin carefully straightened.

But there's so much more to catch up on.

We chat about her growing detecting community, Team MINELAB, Team Detector Maps, new permissions and some fantastic group detecting adventures. Ellie also brings along some very special finds, including a Bronze Age bead and a Neolithic grinding stone.

We get into the realities of being a female detectorist, how the hobby has evolved, her advice for beginners choosing their first detector and the importance of finding your feet in what can be a wonderfully welcoming community.

And then things take a rather unexpected turn!

Ellie tells us about her new adventures in mudlarking with Nicola White, flying over Wiltshire's famous crop circles, and an intriguing remote-viewing experiment that has already produced some remarkable coincidences, including a medieval brooch and Roman coin found close to a location marked on a map!

We also put Ellie and Murray head-to-head in our special Halloween History Quiz, with some rather gruesome historical questions.

It's a brilliant catch-up packed with incredible finds, fascinating history, laughs and plenty of detecting inspiration.

Find Ellie – Miss Detectorist: Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Substack: @miss_detectorist

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Our midweek Forgotten History extra continues the 1066 theme. Murray tells the story of Harald Hardrada, the Norwegian king whose death at the Battle of Stamford Bridge is traditionally seen as the end of the Viking Age in England.

Harald was fighting in battles by the age of 15. After his half-brother King Olaf II was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, Harald fled east to Kievan Rus and served Prince Yaroslav the Wise. He then joined the Varangian Guard, the elite Scandinavian bodyguard of the Byzantine emperors, and campaigned across the Mediterranean, including the fight to retake Sicily. He returned home a very wealthy man, became King of Norway in 1046, and spent years trying and failing to take Denmark too.

In September 1066, at around 50 years old, he invaded England with roughly 300 ships, joined by Tostig Godwinson, the exiled brother of King Harold II. After victory at the Battle of Fulford and the surrender of York, Harald was caught by surprise at Stamford Bridge on 25 September after King Harold’s march north. Harald was killed, the invasion collapsed, and only around 24 ships were needed to carry the survivors home.

Plus Viking tattoos, the famous Viking poo at York’s Jorvik Viking Centre, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and why Katie never won a sports day as a Norman.

Watch on YouTube

youtube.com/@detectinghistorychannel

Got a forgotten history story you’d like us to cover?

WhatsApp: 07457 410889. Send your finds for the monthly competition too, and you could win a year’s free Field Finders subscription.

Email: detectinghistorychannel@gmail.com

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The Bronze Art Workshop: metal conservation and bronze casting, thebronzeartworkshop.com

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It’s 960 years since 1066, and Katie and Murray mark the anniversary of the Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, with Murray dressed for the occasion in his Viking shield and axe.

Murray reviews the History Hit documentary 1066: The Lost Battleground. In it, Dan Snow joins detectorists Simon Richardson and John Benfield as they search for the true site of the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Their evidence points to a Roman road crossing further south, where they turn up a Viking spearhead, brooches and arrowheads. Then it’s on to the Bayeux Tapestry, now at the British Museum until July 2027. Murray shares some lesser-known facts: it isn’t actually a tapestry, there are naked men hidden in the borders, Halley’s Comet makes an appearance, and Harold may never have been shot in the eye at all. Katie recommends the free Victorian replica at Reading Museum if you can’t get tickets.

Also in this episode, Murray’s bumper detecting day turns up around 30 coins and a WW1 Royal Flying Corps badge. He also shares the story of a WW1 identity tag he traced, through family history research, to a soldier who ran a fish and chip shop on Farringdon Road, and how he’s working to return it to the family. Katie’s chickens keep digging up Victorian bottles, her 50p collection grows, and she’s building a 2,083-piece Lego Concorde. Darren Booth of The Etching Booth sends in a classic newbie mishap, and Murray introduces his Renaissance Wax review (watch the full review on YouTube).

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to our 1066 anniversary special

01:40 Field Finders recap

02:24 Murray’s best detecting day and a Royal Flying Corps badge

05:56 Tracing a WW1 identity tag

09:28 Katie’s update: Concorde, chicken finds and 50p collecting

22:00 1066: The Lost Battleground on History Hit

28:16 The Battle of Stamford Bridge Heritage Society

29:10 The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum and Reading Museum

31:50 Bayeux Tapestry facts you might not know

37:56 Renaissance Wax review

39:40 Listener mishap from Darren Booth

43:40 Coming up: Forgotten History on Harald Hardrada

Coming up

Forgotten History: The Life of Harald Hardrada, out Wednesday.

Send us your finds and mishaps

WhatsApp: 07457 410889. Enter the monthly finds competition for the chance to win a year’s free Field Finders subscription.

Email: detectinghistorychannel@gmail.com

Watch and follow

Watch the video version every Wednesday at 5pm on YouTube at youtube.com/@detectinghistorychannel. Help us reach 500 subscribers for our next big giveaway!

Murray: YouTube at Bearded Bleepers Metal Detecting | beardedbleepers.co.uk

Katie: YouTube at Metal Detecting with Katie UK

Sponsors and partners

Field Finders: 20% off a subscription at fieldfinders.co.uk with code DHFF20

Regton: 10% off selected items at regton.com with code DHPodcast

The Bronze Art Workshop: metal conservation and bronze casting, thebronzeartworkshop.com

Where to find Stamford Bridge 1066 Heritage Society: stamfordbridge1066.org.uk

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