Gloucestershire Police are investigating after people using metal detectors illegally dug eight holes on the grounds of Hailes Abbey, a 13th-century scheduled monument in the Cotswolds, in an apparent search for artefacts.
Officers said the disturbance occurred on August 20 or 21 and that those responsible used a spade to dig into the protected site. No arrests have been reported. The force asked anyone with information to contact them and to quote incident 386 of August 22.
The ruined Cistercian abbey, near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, is owned by the National Trust and managed by English Heritage. Founded in 1246, Hailes Abbey was a prominent medieval shrine and pilgrimage site, once known for a relic said to contain Christ's blood. The relic was denounced as a fake during the Reformation and the monastery was dissolved and left in ruins in the 1530s.
Because the site is on the Schedule of Monuments list, any change to the ground or removal of objects requires permission. Nighthawking — the term used for illegal metal-detecting and the clandestine removal of artefacts — is a criminal offence when it takes place without consent on protected sites, Gloucestershire Police said.
Heritage bodies and detecting organisations condemned the activity. Mark Harrison, head of heritage crime at Historic England, said such actions are "stealing from all of us and damaging something which is often irreplaceable." Catherine Lange, spokesperson for the National Council for Metal Detecting, said the practice should be called "what it is, which is theft," and warned that romanticising the term "nighthawking" risks undermining how seriously the crime is treated and tarnishes the reputation of lawful detectorists.
Reports over recent years have raised concern about rising incidents of nighthawking. The Archaeology and Metal Detecting Magazine warned in 2021 that the practice was becoming an "epidemic" in the UK, and organisations involved in heritage protection say stolen items are often sold on illegal markets.
Gloucestershire Police said officers working to protect heritage sites will follow up any credible leads. The force has a dedicated Heritage Watch Scheme to safeguard historical sites, monuments, buildings and artefacts within the county.
Members of the public with information about the Hailes Abbey incident are asked to complete the force’s online reporting form and to quote the incident number, or to call 101. Police also noted that anyone nationwide aware of crime affecting a heritage site can report it by calling 101 and saying the phrase "Operation Minster."