Bognor u3a

Bognor u3a members were given a talk, via Zoom, by Portia Tremlett, public programme engagement pfficer at The Novium Museum, Chichester.

She is primarily involved with delivering exhibitions and talks, but also works in conjunction with the learning and collection teams.

The subject of her talk was the North Bersted Man, otherwise known as the Bersted Warrior.

The excavation was carried out by Thames Valley Archaeological Services, prior to the building of Bersted Park and consisted of 26 hectares. Many types of material were found, with occupation evidence of Neolithic, Roman and Second World War. The finds were mainly Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman. Evidence was found of Iron Age farming activity in the Chichester, Trundle and Bersted areas.

Burials in these times were normally cremations, but in the case of the Bersted Warrior this was not the case. Land indicated that there may have been a burial mound, but this could not be proven. The burial assemblage had to be processed as treasure by the British Museum, with 50 per cent of the reward to the land owner and 50 per cent to the finders. In the case the latter were not allowed to accept their share as a professional archaeological unit, and the former, developers Berkeley Homes, donated the finds to the museum. On completion of the excavation the site was closed in 2008, but process of the finds took close to ten years before they were deposited with the Novium Museum in 2018.

Specialist conservators were brought in to lift items from the burial to analyse the finds. There were Iron Bindings across the burial, believed to be evidence of a wooden box inverted and placed over the body prior to burial. The grave was split into sections and there were three complete pots at the head end and three broken pots at the feet end. Further excavations uncovered a bronze helmet, remains of a shield and an iron sword, which again was bent. This style of ritually damaged grave goods is primarily a Continental practice. The spear head was willow shaped and the shield boss, butterfly shaped, bronzed, which is unusual. The long sword, still in its scabbard was a cavalryman’s sword and found more on the continent. The helmet was Gallic in style and only three others have