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Lincolnshire metal detectorist's Iron Age bull rider up for auction

Essex Coin Auctions Barnetby Bull RiderEssex Coin Auctions
Paul Campbell had already found a pocketful of Roman coins and was heading home when he found the Barnetby Bull Rider

A last-minute find by a Lincolnshire metal detectorist could sell for £10,000 at auction.

Paul Campbell had given up for the day when he discovered a 2,000-year-old bull rider figure in a field in Barnetby le Wold in 2016.

He said it had been a race against time as the field was being turned into grassland for sheep a few days later.

Mr Campbell said the piece came from the ancient Corieltauvi tribe. It will go under the hammer on Wednesday.

After a successful day detecting, which had produced a few Roman coins, Mr Campbell said he had been heading back across the field to fetch his bicycle when his detector gave a positive signal.

Expecting to find more Roman coins he dug down and saw "old damaged horns".

"That was the clue it was from Corieltauvi times," he said.

Neil Waldren Paul Campbell with the Barnetby Bull RiderNeil Waldren
Paul Campbell's find depicts a topless woman grasping a bull by the horn as she rides with her arm raised in the air

The piece was handed over to the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme, and experts declared it to be of regional importance.

Adam Staples, from Essex Coin Auctions, said it was thought to be the only recorded example of a figure riding a bull and probably dated from the early 1st century AD.

"It is such a unique piece and begs the question just who was she? Was she a slave, a priestess, a Queen?" he said.

"The names of powerful Celtic Queens such as Boudicca and Cartimandua have survived the ages, but the identity of our rider has been lost to history," he added.

Mr Staples said the bull rider would have been fixed to the top of a bowl that may have been filled with blood during ritual sacrifices.

Essex Coin Auctions Horns on the Barnetby Bull RiderEssex Coin Auctions
Mr Campbell said the horns on the bull's head made him think the piece was from the time of an ancient tribe called the Coritani

Speaking of the auction Mr Campbell, who has been detecting metal since he was nine years old, said he was "not money orientated".

"It's more important that I've saved it from the plough," he said.

"I'm interested to know what it will be bought for, but it's more about Lincolnshire history and it being seen," he added.

The Barnetby Bull Rider is due to be auctioned on Wednesday 9 November with an estimate of £8,000-£10,000.

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