Lindow Moss and The Bog Man

I passed by this scene of desolation today.  It is near Lindow Common in Wilmslow, where an assortment of birds were active on Black Lake, including the diver pictured below.  I think it's a Great-crested Grebe hiding its crest, but I stand to be corrected.

 
Anyway, whilst the small area of Lindow Common has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), nearby Lindow Moss, a much larger area and possibly of greater scientific importance, continues to house a commercial Peat Farm.  A matter of some local debate.

It was here that in 1984 some workmen discovered a body that had been preserved in the peat for around 2000 years.  This was 'Pete Marsh', whose wounds indicated a ritual killing whereby he was knocked unconscious, then slowly garotted, then had his throat cut.  His stomach contained burnt bread and mistletoe, sacred to the Druids.  It is possible that after this last sacred meal he suffered the 'threefold death' referred to by the Roman chronicler, Lucan, as a sacrifice to a triad of powerful Celtic gods: Teutates, Esus and Taranis. 

Pete's twisted body is now a popular exhibit in the British Museum in London. What other secrets may Lindow Moss hold, I wonder?  One murderer confessed to killing his wife when a skull was found in 1983.  That skull was later found to be from a woman who had died around 500BC, in the Iron age!

I've gleaned this information from Tony Bowerman's excellent little book - Walks in Mysterious Cheshire and Wirral.  This book is no longer available from Amazon, so may soon be difficult to obtain - get it while you can!   More information on Lindow Man is available from the British Museum, and from Wikipedia, as well as from this 'Mummy Tombs' website.