(12)  Roman treasure trove at Cramond

In November 1996 a statue of a lioness was found in the bed of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth at Cramond near Edinburgh. The statue was removed from the river in January 1997 and found to be probably of the second or third centuries, when Cramond was the site of a major Roman fort. Ownership of the statue falls to the Crown since it is treasure trove (which in Scots law is not confined to precious metals). The finder, Robert Graham, who is the Cramond ferryman, has been awarded a five-figure sum by the Treasure Trove Panel, which has also advised the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer that possession of the statue should be shared by the National Museums of Scotland and the Edinburgh Council museums department, who will take turns to exhibit it.