Monument record 1473/0/1 - Lindow I Bog Body (head), Lindow Moss

<1> Stead I M & Turner R C, 1985, Lindow Man, Antiquity, Vol 59, p.25-9 (Article in Journal). SCH9739.

A well-preserved head, thought to be female, was found on an elevator at a peat company's depot in May 1983. The remains comprised a cranium, dark hair, brain, membrane and also part of an eyeball. This find became involved in a murder case in which a man was later tried and convicted. However, Carbon 14 dating by Oxford University proved the skull to be AD 210 +/- 80. Macclesfield police excavated large areas of the peat bog around the assumed location of the find (centred around SJ 8219 8066) but no more human remains were discovered. The head must have been in a peat stack for several months and peat from the stack was sieved, including some that had already been despatched to Somerset. An iron pin was found in the Somerset consignment. (See also sources 2-4 for similar accounts of the discoveries of Lindow I).

<2> County Historic Environment Record, 1973-1985, Cheshire Archaeological Bulletin, Vol 10, p.28-32, Turner R C, 1985 (Journal/Periodical). SCH565.

<3> Stead I M et al, 1986, Lindow Man - The Body in the Bog, p.10-11, 22, 39-40, 52-53 (Monograph). SCH1932.

An initial examination of the skull at the North West Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory in Southport concluded that it was the 'skull of a European female, most probably in the age group 30/50 years'. Later examination of the skull at the British Museum also suggested that the skull was likely that of an adult female. Two samples were taken from the skull and the cranial membrane for radio-carbon dating; the two measurements agreed closely, amalgamated, they gave a date of 1740 +/- 80 BP (OxA-114).
The potential iron pin found in the consignment of peat sent to Somerset is described as a slightly tapering, ribbed iron rod, 61 mm long, and broken at both ends, although only the tip appears to be missing at the narrower end. Function obscure and date uncertain and thought unlikely to relate to the find of the Lindow I head.

<4> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, Vol 84, 1987, p.1-14, Stead I M & Turner R C, 'Lindow Man: An Ancient Body from a Cheshire Bog' (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<5> Cheshire County Council, 1992-1995, Cheshire Past, Issue 2, 1993, p.10-11, Turner, R., The Lindow Moss bog bodies: further research (Newsletter). SCH870.

Considers progress of research into the bog body known as Lindow III (found 1987), Lindow Man (found 1984), Lindow I (found 1983), also Lindow IV (found 1988). The various body parts are thought possibly to represent two individuals, one formed by the remains of Lindow II and IV; the other Lindow I and III. Both were young adult males who appear to have met a violent end. Lindow III appears to have been beheaded then dispatched to the bog. He was circa 5 foot 5 inches tall and of slim build. No internal organs survived apart from his gut which contained crushed hazelnuts and wheat bread. There is evidence that his body was painted in a blue, clay-based, copper paint and subsequent analysis of Lindow Man found the same group of chemicals in his skin; this could indicate that both individuals were Celtic warriors. Insect assemblages from both bodies showed no evidence for carrion fauna suggesting that they were rapidly submerged in the peat. Radio-carbon dates from Oxford and Harwell indicate a date for Lindow III of AD 25-230 with 95% confidence.

<6> Carver, M, 1993, In Search of Cultural Archaeology Investigations in Honour of P. Rahtz, 'Lindow Man and other British bog bodies', R.Turner, p.9-19 (Book). SCH1467.

Discusses the likelihood that the head 'Lindow Woman' is the missing head of Lindow III, given that they were probably found within 60m of each other. The pathologists did not retain any tissue from the head, so comparison of blood or tissue type is not possible. The published radiocarbon date for the head (1740+/-80 BP, OXA-114) is comparable with the dates for Lindow III (1790+/-49 BP).

<7> Turner R. C. & Scaife R. G. A (eds), 1995, Bog Bodies. New Discoveries and New Perspectives, p.12-13 (Book). SCH4324.

Monograph pulling together the various strands of research undertaken as part of the Lindow bog bodies phenomenon.
(p.188) The findspots of Lindow I and Lindow III are not accurately known as both were found in already excavated peat. The findspot of Lindow I was plotted a year after its discovery, from the memory of the workmen and their estimate of where it was likely to have been; it is located some 40-70m south of the find of Lindow III. Parts of Lindow III were found in a peat stack, so his estimated findspot is within a 12m diameter circle of that spot (the excavator used to dig the peat has a reach of 6m). Circumstantial evidence may link the two bodies. Lindow I was discovered on 13 May 1983 and, during the excavations for Lindow III in 1987, a drainage ditch was found running through the western extent of the site, the back fill of this ditch contained a newspaper dating to 24th May 1983, which is likely when the workmen re-started work after the police had left the scene of the find of Lindow I. It is therefore possible that Lindow III was first excavated at this time and moved into a peat stack one or more times until it was discovered in multiple pieces in 1987. It may indicate that the findspots of the head and body were originally closer together than previously thought.
(p.189) Turner concludes that the two bodies represent ritual sacrifices probably in the Celtic tradition just before or during the first half of the Roman occupation of Britain.

<8> Various, Newspaper articles relating to the discovery of the Lindow bog bodies, SCH9544c (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH9544.

<9> Leah, MD; Wells, CE; Appleby, C; Huckerby, E, 1997, The Wetlands of Cheshire (North West Wetlands Survey 4), p.48-9 (Monograph). SCH3260.

Monograph synthesising archaeological and paleoecological studies undertaken on and around the wetlands of Cheshire, including Lindow Moss. Discusses the discovery of the Lindow bog bodies and the investigations on the two near by sand islands, which project into the western fringes of the moss, that occurred following the find of Lindow III. The raised islands were considered good candidates to find evidence of activity contemporary with the bodies.
(see ECH6985 for the 1987 excavations on the sand islands)

<10> Various, Written Communication to the HER, 22/02/2024 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

There are two NGR's recorded for Lindow I, one was generated from the NGR originally recorded in the SMR in the 1980s (source 11). The other is based on the rectification of a plan of the 1987 excavation trenches (trenches 1-3), dug after the find of the Lindow III bog body. The plan also included the findspots of Lindow I, II and III and an approximate extent of the sand islands. (The trench plan is published in 'Bog Bodies. New Discoveries and New Perspectives', 1995, Turner and Scaife, Fig.5, p.15. SCH4324). It is important to note that only Lindow II was found in situ, the findspots of Lindows I, III and IV are subjective to a degree.

<11> Cheshire Historic Environment Record, 1980s/90s, SMR printout, CHER 1473_0_1 Lindow I, 24/03/1987 (Other Interpretation Materials). SCH9511.

CHER 1473_0_1 Lindow I, 24/03/1987

<12> Hyde, Matthew and Pemberton, Christine, 2002, Lindow and the Bog Warriors, p.23-25 (Book). SCH9548.

<13> Velson Horie, 2019, Part II: Excavation and conservation of bog bodies: Resurrecting Lindow Man, Journal of Wetland Archaeology, Vol.19, Issue 1-2, 2019, Bog Bodies Special Edition (Article in Journal). SCH9549.

First-hand account, by the conservator from Manchester Museum involved, of the discovery and excavation of four sets of human remains (Lindow I-IV) from Lindow Moss in the years 1983–1988.