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British Museum description

Right:  A reconstruction

The body of the shield is made up of two metal plates with a U-section binding around the edge. The spine and end roundels are attached by rivets through the metal plates. The protruding length of these rivets from the back of the plates suggests that the original wood or hide backing was 6 mm thick. Domed washers held the rivets in place at the back.

The central boss, spine and end roundels are all made in one piece. The boar outline originally applied to the front of the shield may have been made from leather/hide and the holes for the pins which held this figure in place are still visible. It is possible that the boss, spine and roundels may have been applied at the later date than the manufacture of the shield and later the boar outline. The boar outline may not have been present at the same time as the boss, spine and roundels.

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The upper end roundel is damaged, but the lower end roundel [see left] is complete and retains its central roundel with dished centre which has a raised rosette design.

Around the outer part of each roundel is a decorative design made up of a repousse, wavy, raised line which ends in a pair of comma-shaped recesses, each of which encloses a 'snail-shell' boss with a tail. At the junction of each boss with the central spine is what appears to be an abstract animal head design.

The design is formed by a pair of domed 'eyes' decorated with an engraved triangle dividing each circle into 3 zones. An elongated bulbous 'snout' extends away from the roundel along the spine. This and the area near the 'eyes' is decorated with engraved lines that give the appearance of 'wrinkles'. Either side of the 'head' nearest the 'eyes' are a pair of palmettes.

Delicate scroll ornament is engraved some way from the end of the 'snout' along the spine and the edge of the central spine has a border of a raised zig-zag motif within a groove.

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This a depiction of the cosmic Egg, meaning the henge was designed to mirror the cosmic egg - Earth, Water [wavy line], Air and Fire [billowing pattern].  The seven petals in the central boss represent the symbolic planets.  We have provided a link to show how this works symbolically.  The Guardian at the entrance is probably the Boar clan to which this knight belongs, with either its ears or [less likely] a pair of small wings.

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The oval boss is richly decorated with repousse ornament. This consists of two design complexes, one on either side of a diagonal axis.

Each has a pair of circular areas to one side which are enclosed by ridges. In the angles formed at the intersection of these is a rosette on the outer side and a coral stud on the inner side. These ridges are connected by 'snail-shell' bosses with a tongue that extends along the central spine.

At the centre of the boss is a roundel decorated with three segments of coral, each attached to the spine with fine pins. Between each pair of 'snail-shell' bosses are a circular and a triangular opening which may have originally revealed a backing of some material colour-contrasted with the surface of the shield.
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The four circles are again the 4 Elements, but it shows a different design of building.  The centre with its very precious coral shows the Trinity of the Unmoving mover .  This building must have been very sacred as two henges leading by a causeway to an immensely sacred central 'palace' is an exceptional site.  Thus as knights go, he must have also been a most important knight.
It is worth adding that important knights such as this one existed right up to the Middle Ages. For example, the Manor of Scrivelsby, part of Scrivelsby civil parish, is in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, it is not that far from Washingborough.  The manor is still held by grand serjeanty, a form of tenure which requires the performance of a service rather than a money payment – in this case as the King or Queen's Champion.

Right:  The Witham Shield - Drawing of the shield made in 1863 by Orlando Jewitt in John Kemble's book Horae Ferales, clearly showing the long-legged boar