The most noticeable feature is the central dome which would have been required for functional reasons as it allowed the owner to hold the shield close to its centre of gravity.

The boar may have been a tribal emblem or represented the prowess of the shield's owner, but could also have been a representation of the Celtic god Moccus.

The shield is decorated with a central spindle boss, on which are pieces of red coral that are thought to have come from the Mediterranean area.

[5] The shield was purchased by Augustus Franks, an independently wealthy antiquarian who worked for the British Museum.

[6] [Witham Shield - BM registration number - 1872,1213.1] An unusual triple headed dress pin was also found in 1826.

It appeared to have been repaired and added to every eighteen years or so during that period, even though the construction and maintenance of a walkway on such a scale at that time would have been a major feat of engineering.

[8] Twenty years later, during further excavations at the site, more sections of the causeway were dug out, some of them containing posts several metres long, plus a complete spear, a currency bar, a sword, a dagger and some bronze fittings, all of which appeared to have been deliberately damaged before their burial.

The area around the site of the causeway was opened as a nature reserve managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust in 2006.