Brymbo Man

Wrexham's oldest resident, some 3,500 years old!

Place of Birth:

Wrexham, circa 1635BC

Biography:

Meet Mr Man, Brymbo Man to his friends. This is the reconstructed face of a prehistoric man whose remains were uncovered by a workman in the community of Brymbo in 1958.

The discovery was considered to be one of Wales's most important archaeological finds. Brymbo Man was found still in his burial chamber and with a flint knife at his side and a vase.

And with the aid of modern scientific techniques, experts at Manchester University reconstructed his skull and face to enable Wrexham's residents today to see if they have any facial similarities with their ancestor.

Facial reconstruction explained

Little is known about his origins, but painstaking reconstruction work revealed he stood 5ft 7ins tall, was aged in his mid to late 30s. They also believe he was right-handed.

Brymbo Man's remains are on show at Wrexham Museum. The exhibit was unveiled in 2002 and attended by Ron Pritchard, one of the workers who found the burial site 40-plus years ago.

Brymbo Man vital statistics

Age: about 35
Date of Birth: c1635BC
Height: 5'8" / 173cm
Build: Stocky
Distinguishing Features: Wound above hairline on forehead
Post Mortem Events: Markings on the left femur and the fibula
Religious Affiliation: Evidence suggests Bronze Age man had a belief in the afterlife

Reconstructing Brymbo Man

You can tell a lot about a person from their face. With expert help, scientists can now recreate a human face from its skull. One of the top experts in facial re-construction is Dr Caroline Wilkinson. She works at the Unit of Art in Medicine at Manchester University, where Brymbo Man was sent for his "makeover".

She made a cast of the skull as Brymbo Man's skull was too old and fragile to be used for the reconstruction. To make the cast, Caroline had to make a mould. She covered the skull in aluminium foil to protect it during the making of the mould. The moulding material is like porridge and is spread all over the skull. Once it set, a perfect cast of Brymbo Man's skull could be made.

The next step for Caroline was to tap in little pegs to indicate the flesh thickness at 21 different points on the skull. The measurements are decided by sex, age and ethnic group. The shape of a face is also determined by a person's weight.

It was not known whether Brymbo Man was skinny or fat so his pegs were based on average weight measurements. Caroline then added the main muscles in clay. She noted the position and strength of the muscle attachments or insertions on the skull.

These indicate the strength of the facial muscles and consequently the shape of Brymbo Man's face. Nearly every feature of the face is determined anatomically, according to Caroline:

The width of the mouth by the outer borders of the canine teeth or the inner borders of the iris in the eyes
The width of the nasal aperture in the skull is about 60 per cent of the width of the nose
It is not guess work or imagination

It is this methodological approach that ensures that the re-construction of Brymbo Man's face is as true to life as possible

The skin was then added in clay strips guided by the little wooden pegs. All the time Caroline took account of the muscle structure she created initially. Some things are difficult to decide exactly; Lips and ears are particularly tricky; and the skill is ensuring that the choice made fits in with the rest of the face.

Caroline did the final modelling relying on her experience over the years in facial reconstruction work. Brymbo Man's next journey was to London to visit the make-up artist. She added hair and eyebrows. Decisions on hair and eye colour are difficult.

By giving Brymbo Man brown hair and hazel eyes the question of his exact origin is left open for further discussion. He spent a lot of time out of doors so he needed a weather beaten look. It is not known whether he was clean shaven or not, but they did have razors in the Early Bronze Age. Brymbo Man has been returned to Wrexham Museum and people can view the finished re-construction.

your comments

Tim Davies
I've lived around Brymbo area for the last 20 years. I remember the findings on Cheshire View but never really listened to what was being said. Wish I had now. Found the beaker man very interesting.
Mon Nov 12 09:09:53 2007

Karen Morgan, Manchester
My father made this wonderful discovery whilst working as a labourer after leaving the armed forces.
Mon Oct 29 08:20:36 2007

Peter A. Kollmann from Eastchester, NY, USA
Cool stuff! I'm pleased this discovery was made, primarily because I now get to add it to the entry for Brymbo, Wales, in the Columbia Gazetteer of the World! Yeah!
Mon May 21 11:07:21 2007

Jade Andrews now 14!
Hey, I'm writing to say we should look into our history and it's important to know were we've come from and it's a good thing because it defines us.
Mon May 14 09:03:48 2007

Claire, Wrexham
I live on Cheshire View in Brymbo. The Brymbo Man was found directly opposite my House, in my dad's friend's back garden. A workman discovered the remains whilst he was diggiing up the garden. I remember the man whose garden it was found in coming over and telling my Dad about what had happened. So I dont know why it says at the top of this page that it was found in 1958 because it wasn't it was found when I was in the last year of Primary School, and I am 18 now! So I think they have made a mistake with the date that they have stated.
Fri May 11 12:26:36 2007

Nicola Kearn from Brymbo
kool I have lived in Brymbo for 2 years and I didn't know about the Brymbo man.
Wed Oct 18 14:18:26 2006

Cynthia Russell, Nashville,TN, USA
Dr. Wilkinson has done an amazing job, Bravo.
Mon Oct 16 09:36:47 2006

Michelle Davies Sydney Australia
I am from Brymbo originally and was also living in the house where Beaker man was found. I think it's great that he is back where he belongs. Will make a special effort to see him when i am next in Wales.
Mon Sep 11 08:58:32 2006

Liz Magpie from Barnsley
Earlier this year I visited your excellent Museum, and was very interested to see Brymbo Man. I was more interested still when, on leaving the Museum, I came face to face with him! He was a young lad wearing a hoodie, and using a mobile, but the family resemblance was striking - well done Caroline!
Thu Jul 6 09:26:29 2006

Jade Andrews age 13 from Brymbo
It's great to know that a really important finding was in my area and in my history, but there can only be one person, I think if people looked a bit harder they could uncover a lot more.
Mon Jul 3 10:24:34 2006

kevin aka davies, hastings, east sussex
I was born in Brymbo in 1965 and my mum and dad were living in the house at 79 Cheshire View when the Beaker (Brymbo) Man was found under the washhouse, whilst my parents were living there. Obviously I wasn't born then, but I remember my mum telling me about it. It's great that he's been moved to Wrexham at last. My mum and sister Belinda Owens still live in Cheshire View.
Wed Feb 22 17:07:30 2006

Alan Friend from Leicester.
This is a very interesting and valuable piece our History and makes for compulsive reading no matter were you live in this country, and I look forwards to more.
Sun Dec 11 13:43:41 2005

Harry Pritchard from Churchstoke
I think this is very interesting, it's something everyone should look at! It's a great piece of history!
Thu Nov 10 19:49:08 2005

SIMON FROM BRYMBO
BRYMBO MAN WAS FOUND BY OFFAS DYKE THERE MUST BE A LOT MORE BURIED ALONG THE DYKE
Wed Oct 26 03:50:45 2005

Rachael from Hawarden
I think this is very interesting and would like to see it, it's a part of our history!
Fri Jul 1 12:15:28 2005

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