Ford Bridge, Braughing
Scheduled Ancient Monument no: 75; Area of Archaeological Significance (AAS) no: 87
Braughing Archaeology Group (BAG) carried out an archaeological excavation beside the River Rib at Ford Bridge, Braughing, Hertfordshire in the summer of 2016 under the direction of Mark Landon and Jonathan Hunn. The project was commissioned by Historic England in order to salvage Iron Age coin mould that was eroding out of the western bank of the river and to undertake the challenge of stabilising the bank itself.
- Location of ground collapse in relation to the Old Church looking east
- A contented Mark Landon working on the finds
- Copper alloy pellet found by metal detector
- Detail of western end of coin mould
- Coin mould horizon looking east
- Busy workers on August 12th 2016
The coin mould assemblage is one the largest of its kind, both in terms of quantity and quality. Nevertheless, it is the quality of the associated finds (artefactual and environmental) that underlines the importance of this site. There is a proposed project to study this assemblage and one that has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the circumstances, socio-economic purpose and cultural symbolism inherent within the early stages of coin making culture in the British Isles.