Mersea Museum: News on Mersea Barrow

Mersea Barrow

An updated story of the contents of the Mersea Barrow was told to visitors at the site last weekend, as part of Heritage Open Days.  Members of the Mersea Island Museum were hosts.

Excavated in 1912 by the Morant Club - an offshoot of what is now the Essex Society for Archaeology and History - the Barrow contained the cremated remains of an important Roman.  Visitors were able to hear an introductory talk, explaining the excavation of 1912 and what has happened since then, and go underground along the original trench-line to view the site of the burial in which a casket and glass bowl containing bones were removed to Colchester Museum. (Follow link to 1912 Report.)

Now the Mersea Island Museum has had the bones analysed by an osteo-archaeologist.  Although no DNA could be found, it was discovered that the remains were covered in a pine and frankincense resin, something absolutely unique to Europe and important in that frankincense was used for ritual burial purposes. (Follow this link for more information.) 

The full report on the Mersea Barrow - a significant update on that of a century ago - will appear in Volume 4 of the Transactions of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History, under preparation and due for publication in 2014.    

The 'Current Archaeology' journal has the story in its September 2013 edition. 

For more information on the West Mersea Barrow visit the dedicated Mersea Museum page.