Enderby Shield on display in The British Museum!

Back in 2015, the University of Leicester Archaeological Services were excavating the Everards Meadows site when they came across an incredible find! That find was the remains of a bark object that had been deeply buried in the waterlogged fills of a substantial Iron Age pit. The object was soon identified as a bark shield dating from the Middle Iron Age.

The unique Enderby Shield was crafted from bark between 400BC-190BC and rediscovered over 2,000 years later. The Everard family chose to donate this important artefact to the extensive Iron Age collection at The British Museum for all to enjoy.

The team there have carefully conserved the shield and it is now proudly on display!

Dr Julia Farley, Curator of British and European Iron Age Collections at the British Museum, said: “This is an absolutely phenomenal object, one of the most marvellous, internationally important finds that I've encountered in my career. So often it is gold which grabs the headlines, but this bark shield is much rarer. It holds a rich store of information about Iron Age society and craft practices. We are grateful to Everards and the University of Leicester for donating such a significant object to the British Museum.”