Law firm sponsors Roman burial exhibit

An East of England law firm is supporting a new exhibition showcasing one of the most significant Roman burial discoveries made in Colchester in recent years.

Fisher Jones Greenwood (FJG) has become the exclusive corporate sponsor of The Lexden Lady: From Burial to Biography, a year-long exhibition now open at Colchester’s Roman Circus Visitor Centre.

The exhibition centres on the remains of a high-status woman discovered during excavation work at the former Essex County Hospital site in Lexden in 2024. 

Archaeologists from Colchester Archaeological Trust uncovered the burial inside an ornate lead coffin alongside a collection of rare grave goods, including glass flasks and jet hairpins.

Preliminary analysis suggests the woman, believed to have been in her late twenties or thirties, may have grown up in Colchester during the late Roman period.

The partnership between FJG and Colchester Archaeological Trust will run until May 2027 and forms part of the law firm’s wider support for community and cultural projects across the city.

Visitors to the exhibition can view the coffin and associated artefacts while learning more about the scientific analysis helping researchers piece together the woman’s life, death and burial more than 1500 years later.

Doug Field, managing partner of FJG, said: “This discovery reminds us that history is not just something we study, it is something we care for. 

“As a firm rooted in Colchester, we felt a responsibility to help ensure this remarkable find is preserved, understood and shared with the wider community. 

“Supporting this exhibition is about more than celebrating Roman Colchester; it is about giving people, especially families and young people, the chance to connect with an individual story from our city’s past. 

“We are proud to play a small part in helping that story be told with the care, respect and curiosity it deserves, today and for generations to come.” 

Adam Wightman, director of archaeology at Colchester Archaeological Trust, added: “The discovery of The Lexden Lady offers a fascinating insight into status, ritual and belief in late Roman Colchester. 

“What makes this burial so compelling is that the beautifully decorated lead coffin, the exceptional grave goods and the scientific evidence each reveal something different about the woman and her burial. 

“This exhibition gives people the chance not only to see some extraordinary objects, but to discover the story of a real person from Roman Colchester.” 

For more information, opening times and tickets, click here.

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