Monument record MKE104468 - Land near Bridge

Summary

In 2012, an Iron Age cremation burial was discovered near Bridge, Kent, within a near-complete imported Gallic helmet recovered by metal detecting. Excavation confirmed an isolated mid-1st century BC cremation, probably of an adult female. The burial belongs to the Aylesford-Swarling tradition, with the helmet serving as a cinerary container

Location

Grid reference TR 1749 5476 (point)
Map sheet TR15SE
County KENT
District CANTERBURY, KENT
Civil Parish BRIDGE, CANTERBURY, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

A rare find was made in 2012 when a metal-detectorist on land near Bridge, a few miles south of Canterbury, Kent, recovered a copper alloy brooch, other metal items, and a quantity of burnt bone contained in a near complete, probably imported Gallic, helmet of Iron Age type. Excavation was undertaken to ascertain the immediate context of the helmet, confirm that it represented a cremation burial, and determine if it formed part of a larger funerary deposit. The helmet and brooch suggest a burial date in the mid-1st century BC and the apparently isolated cremation burial, of a possibly female adult, can be broadly placed within the AylesfordûSwarling tradition; the helmet taking the place of a more usual pottery cinerary urn. Cropmark evidence suggests that the burial was made within a wider landscape of Iron Age occupation (Farley et al. 2014). <1>

Grave Goods Project grave types: Pit x 1

Grave Goods Project human remains: Cremation x 1


<1> University of Manchester, 21/06/2018, Grave Goods Project: test data migration, 72836 (Machine readable data file). SKE51586.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Machine readable data file: University of Manchester. 21/06/2018. Grave Goods Project: test data migration. 72836.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • Non-Intrusive Event: Grave Goods Project Event with no name (EKE16820)

Record last edited

Aug 17 2026 11:05AM