Also recorded as: Iron Age divination spoon; Rob Middleton spoon
What the evidence supports
MNH identifies this as the first object of its type found on the Isle of Man and only the twenty-eighth then known worldwide. Its exact function is unknown: ritual divination is the leading interpretation, not a proven use. The official source identifies only private land in Patrick, so the record publishes no geometry.
Location and precision
Location withheld. Exact private-land find location not published; the parish-level wording is not converted into a map point.
Why no public geometry is published: The source location is withheld from the deployable dataset.
No coordinates published
Exact private-land find location not published; the parish-level wording is not converted into a map point.
Access is not implied
Find location confidential; view the object through MNH rather than attempting to identify the land.
Legal note
On the Isle of Man, metal-detector use in a protected area requires written Manx National Heritage consent, and digging or excavation on any land to search for archaeological objects requires an MNH licence. Landowner permission alone is not enough.
Sensitivity note
Location withheld; Recent find; Private land
Sources
- MNH: Iron Age divination spoon discovered on the Isle of ManOfficial 10 February 2025 announcement, dating, interpretation and private-land location limit.