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British Museum Exhibit

Our school is built on land that was originally part of the Panshanger House estate owned by Lord Desborough of the Cowper family.  It was the first school built on the estate. This pictures show a reconstruction in the British Museum of the grave of an Iron Age chieftain who was cremated and buried close to what now is the site of Panshanger Primary School, sometime between 25 BC and 10 BC. A number of valuable artefacts which probably belonged to the chief were placed in the grave along with the cremation, including a silver cup imported from Italy, and a gaming set. The burial was found in 1965 during the laying of a gas pipeline and was subsequently excavated by archaeologists from the Department of Education.

These human remains originate from the Late Iron Age La Tène III Burial at Welwyn Garden City, excavated by Ian, M, Stead in 1965. The grave was discovered when a trench for a gas-pipe disturbed it, damaging the contents. The grave floor lay approx. 1.2m below present ground level and measured approx. 2.5m long by 1.7m wide, whilst the top of the grave measured approx. 3.2m long by 2.2m wide immediately below the top soil.

The burial was that of an important man whose body had been wrapped in a bear skin and cremated. The burnt bones were placed in a heap on the floor of the grave. The large burial vault was filled with numerous pots and metal vessels, and other offerings including a unique set of gaming pieces, which may have been used for a game similar to ludo. The burial also contained wooden bowls and buckets, a straw mat and other organic materials which have long since perished. Most of the grave-goods are native, but the wine amphorae and silver cup are italian, while the platters and large flagon were made in Gaul. Wine amphorae are only found in burials north of the Thames.The grave dates from late in the first century BC, midway between the expeditions of Julius Caesar (55 and 54 BC) and the invasion of the Emperor Claudius (AD43).

The burial is one of six examples named after the type site Welwyn, Herts, including Hertford Heath, Mount Bures, Snailwell, Stanfordbury and Welwyn. The burial may be characterized by its cremation with no covering mound and its wide range of grave goods including materials such as ceramics, glass, iron, bronze and silver.

The burial was that of an important man whose body had been wrapped in a bear skin and cremated. The burnt bones were placed in a heap on the floor of the grave. The large burial vault was filled with numerous pots and metal vessels, and other offerings including a unique set of gaming pieces, which may have been used for a game similar to ludo. The burial also contained wooden bowls and buckets, a straw mat and other organic materials which have long since perished. Most of the grave-goods are native, but the wine amphorae and silver cup are italian, while the platters and large flagon were made in Gaul. Wine amphorae are only found in burials north of the Thames.The grave dates from late in the first century BC, midway between the expeditions of Julius Caesar (55 and 54 BC) and the invasion of the Emperor Claudius (AD43).

The burial is one of six examples named after the type site Welwyn, Herts, including Hertford Heath, Mount Bures, Snailwell, Stanfordbury and Welwyn. The burial may be characterized by its cremation with no covering mound and its wide range of grave goods including materials such as ceramics, glass, iron, bronze and silver.