SUMMARY Objects found through hobby metal-detecting and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme have provided significant evidence for long-term settlement in Whittington parish, Northumberland. The artefacts range in date from the Mesolithic to the present day, with a significant proportion attributed to the Roman and medieval periods, and a small but significant presence of late Iron Age and Early Medieval activity. The large number and diversity of Roman period objects is particularly interesting for two reasons: the finds assemblage is atypical for non-military and non-urban sites in the frontier zone; and the site is approximately 2 km north of Hadrian’s Wall. On the basis of known artefact spreads, geophysical survey was conducted in two fields in November 2011 but produced no close relationship between identifiable subsurface features and artefact distributions INTRODUCTION bjects reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) in 2007 from outside the village of Great Whittington, Northumberland, highlighted potential Roman activity. The initial discovery consisted of a small group of eight late Roman coins, the latest of which was a Gloria Romanorum issue of 406–8 (Collins 2008). Subsequently, a pair of paterae were reported from a different area outside the village, and these were acquired by the Society (Allason-Jones 2010). The first author (RC), in his capacity as the Finds Liaison Officer for the area, has worked closely with those individuals metal-detecting in the vicinity to record as many accurate findspots as possible. As of 4 December 2012, there were 156 records of objects on the PAS database reported from the area outside the village, consisting of 149 records from the parish of Whittington and seven from the adjacent parish of Wall. These objects range in date from the Mesolithic to the modern era, though very few objects of modern date have been recorded (in accordance with the standard practice of the PAS). The date range, based on the number of records on the PAS database, is seen in Table 1, and this indicates the prominence of Roman and medieval period objects and coins. The Appendix provides a summary listing of the objects recorded, rather than complete catalogue entries. A full description and illustration can be found on the PAS database (finds.org.uk/database (accessed 9th June, 2013)), using the Find ID provided in the Appendix. The objects of medieval and post-medieval origin found around Great Whittington are fairly representative of objects of the same date found elsewhere in Northumberland and recorded by the PAS. It is the Iron Age, Roman, and (to a lesser extent) the Early Medieval assemblages that are highly significant. In contrast with the Yorkshire region, very few metal objects of Iron Age and Early Medieval date are found by metal detectorists in the North East, such that the mere presence of a small handful of objects represents a significant discovery. Metal-detecting and geophysical survey at Great Whittington, Northumberland Rob Collins and J. Alan Biggins O