Subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter for a round-up of the biggest stories from across Surrey Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A 3,000-YEAR-OLD shield discovered in Molesey during the 1860s has been found again after being missing for years.

The rare Bronze Age item dubbed the 'Molesey Shield' was first found in 1864 on the bed of the River Thames.

The circular shield is 64cm in diameter and features a dome shaped 'boss' to allow room for the warrior’s hand.

It had last been known of in the ownership of James Milner, of Palace Road, Molesey, who kept it until at least 1868 and during those years it was displayed in various national locations. But after it left there it became untraceable.

Seven years ago two Molesey historians, Paul Gossage and Steven Baker, decided to track it down by researching the family tree of the Milner family, who lived in the town until 1910.

Two years ago the British Museum put Paul and Steven in contact with archaeologist Marion Uckelmann, a leading expert on European Bronze Age shields.

Steven then unearthed a previously unknown record of the shield being displayed in 1868 at the Leeds National Exhibition of Works of Art, which led to documentary proof of the shield returning to Molesey. But there the search came to another standstill for a year.

The Surrey Archaeological Society did an in-depth search of its extensive archives. The society’s librarian, Hannah Jeffery, combed through all their records and pieced together three clues in an obscure document.

She realised she had discovered a similar sounding shield which had been found "between Hampton and Walton", which had gone into a private collection and had been mistakenly become mixed up with items from north-east Ireland. It had ten been displayed in the Hunt Museum in Ireland as an item from that area.

Mr Gossage said: “The shield was found two miles up the river from Molesey. It was proudly displayed nationally by a man who understood its importance and kept it safe for many years.

“But when it left Molesey, its provenance became lost for over a hundred years.

"It was finally rediscovered by two people from Molesey who were crucial links in a chain of just four people.

"I think we should now do it justice and call it the Molesey Shield. It’s been a long journey for Steven and me, but worth it to metaphorically ‘bring home’ our lost shield.

"Its physical home is definitely in Ireland, where it is magnificently displayed in pride of place in the Hunt Museum.

“But its spiritual home is in Molesey, as the ‘Molesey Shield’.”