... against the wishes of the landowner and river authority. But, given it was donated to a museum (c/f Indiana Jones) no action will be taken.<p>There's a huge tension between Archeologists, Landholders, Developers, Metal detectorists, Magnet fishers, unexploded bomb experts, CSI labs and found objects related to crime..<p>But the other side of this coin is Italy where people use construction site diggers to rob graves and flee, irrespective to the damage. A framework which encourages reporting and resolution of finds, preservation of the locus and data is good.
So, the guy that found it got nothing. The museum got another piece of trash. Should've thrown it back in the river or sold it privately.<p>What's the point of spending all that time covered in dirt fishing in the muddy waters in the freezing rain for treasure when even in the best case scenario, when against all odds you pull a 1000 year old sword from the depths, some pencil pusher leaps from the woodwork to snatch it from your hands and leave you with no reward? The next guy will think twice. This is why English society does so poorly. They don't properly manage incentives.
It’s still no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.