Dear Jan, 

This was raised by Norfolk County Council some years back when I was curator of 
geology for Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service and was doing between 400 
to 800 identifications a year. I quite pointedly reminded them (the bean 
counters) that most of these people were local and had already paid for the 
service - through their council tax and income tax. Besides which, if we put 
them off by charging (and it really would put them off) then we were failing in 
our duty to help 'inspire and inform' etc that was part of our mission 
statement at the time. Also, if we had been charging at the time we'd almost 
certainly not have had some incredibly important specimens and sites brought to 
our attention: we may have missed out on the West Runton Mammoth (at 85 percent 
complete the best skeleton ever found of a Steppe Mammoth anywhere in the 
world); not known about Lynford, the Neanderthal Woolly Mammoth butchery Site, 
(and the best Neanderthal site ever found in the UK); and completely been 
unaware of the various Lower Palaeolithic sites at Happisburgh on the North 
Norfolk coast (at between 600,00 and 990,000 years old they are the oldest 
archaeological sites this side of the Alps and the Pyrenees by far). All these 
sites, and plenty of others that are important that I could list for you, were 
brought to our attention through the public bringing in finds for a free 
identification. The public in Norfolk have literally helped to re-write history 
through being able to bring in to their local museum a few odd things from the 
beach they were puzzled by. At the other end of the scale, many dozens of 
children have been really excited to be told they've found a scrap of wolly 
mammoth bone or a sea urchin etc. They are potentially the scientists and 
curators of the future.

I am sure they still don’t charge in Norfolk but Dave would be able to update 
you.

Apologies if all that sounds a bit 'Ranty'. But you did ask...

With best wishes, Nigel.



> Hi All,
> 
> Just doing a bit of research.
> 
> Does anyone charge for enquiries from the pubic? Not researchers, or
> press/TV, just people bringing in specimens for curators to look at?
> 
> Thanks all,
> 
> Jan
> 
> Jan Freedman
> Curator of Natural History
> Economic Development
> Plymouth City Council
> Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery
> Drake Circus
> Plymouth
> PL4 8AJ
> 
> T +441752304765
> E [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> www.plymouth.gov.uk<http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/>
> 
> 
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