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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Origin of this document. In its published response to a review of the Treasure Trove system the then Scottish Executive determined that a 'comprehensive and authoritative Code of Practice should be drawn up'. 1
1.2 Compilation. The Code of Practice has been compiled for the Scottish Government by the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel ( SAFAP) in conjunction with the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer ( QLTR).
1.3 Status. This Code of Practice, published with the approval of Scottish Ministers, is an advisory notice setting out guidance and best practice in relation to the law in Scotland as applied to portable antiquities. The guidance and best practice it contains may be relevant considerations in any legal proceedings involving Treasure Trove matters.
1.4 Review. The Code of Practice will be subject to periodic review and it will therefore be important to use the most up-to-date version. This first version (2008) of the Code supersedes all previous booklets and leaflets pertaining to Treasure Trove in Scotland. Updated versions will be prepared and distributed as necessary, and the most recent version will be accessible on the following website: www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk. Comments from users will be welcome and will be considered when the Code is revised. (Comments should be sent to the QLTR at the address in Appendix O)
1.5 Using this document. The first sections of the code set out the aim and policy of the Treasure Trove system. They describe which bodies are involved and what are their responsibilities, and give definitions of the main terms used. Following these are sections which provide a guide to the Treasure Trove process, from the discovery of a portable antiquity or fieldwork assemblage through to its acquisition by a museum, and to the roles and responsibilities of finders, museums and official bodies.
TT.74/07 Neolithic stone axehead from Dunragit, Stranraer, Dumfries & Galloway. Allocated to Stranraer Museum
Stone axeheads were part of the toolkit of Neolithic farmers some 5,000 years ago. This example is a roughout for the finished product. This roughout however, is not made from a local stone but from Langdale tuff, a pale green stone found high up on the fells in the Lake District in Cumbria. Axeheads from these Cumbrian Neolithic 'axe factories' have been found across Britain and in Ireland and it seems that the sites where the stone was quarried or perhaps the stone itself, was of special significance to Neolithic people.
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