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Round Barrow(s) (Destroyed)
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The beautiful and unique Bronze Age Mold gold cape was discovered by labourers breaking stone for road building, in 1833. They were digging a mound in a field known as 'Bryn Yr Ellyllon' - Hill of the Elves, and it was found crushed and in pieces in a stone-lined grave at the mound's centre. They also found some amber beads with the skeleton. The pieces were originally thought to be an chest ornament for a horse, but eventually it was reassembled into a strange collar that would have restricted the wearer's arms.
There's a copy of the cape in the Mold Library - but hopefully, after many years of campaigns, perhaps the *real* cape will be returned to the town.
By the way, if you go to the British Museum to see it, if you stand in front of the case and squint a bit, you can see your reflection and the cape at the same time, and it looks like you're wearing the thing. Spooky.
It seems that the vultures descended as soon as it was unearthed and bits spread far and wide. But this page in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London (v 3, 1856) speaks hopefuly of how a fragment had been retrieved, and how it held useful information about the 'corselet's original appearance.
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Posted by Rhiannon
6th February 2004ce
Edited 19th April 2013ce
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