The Cheshire archeologist who recovered the best preserved bog body in Britain has died.

Rick Turner, County Hall’s county archeologist, travelled to Wilmslow following a call by police in 1984 after the discovery of a human foot by a worker at a commercial peat site.

The previous year an incomplete and decomposing female head had been found dating back to AD210.

The outcome was the finding of a superbly-preserved figure face down in the bog. At first this was thought to date back to around 55BC although this was revised to between 2BC and AD119.

Lindow Man, or Peat Marsh as he was also known, has since astounded visitors at the British Museum in London and in Manchester which he visits.

Lindow Man, the bog body recovered by Cheshire archeologist Rick Turner who has died
Lindow Man, the bog body recovered by Cheshire archeologist Rick Turner who has died

Despite decades of probing mystery surrounds the body with one suggestion he was probably bludgeoned, garrotted and had his throat slashed as part of an elaborate ritual.

The find caused a media sensation and attracted global coverage which intensified following the announcement that he had met with a violent death. A 1985 BBC documentary about him attracted 10 million viewers.

Mr Turner’s quick thinking and actions enabled the remains to be saved for the nation providing a rare insight into life and death around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain.

Mr Turner, 66, was the co-author of the report of the Chester Rows Research Project, published by English Heritage, which summarised 10 years of research into the most extensive surviving example in Europe of a medieval two-tier complex of shops.

After retirement in 2014 he continued to research historic buildings and undertook consultancy work, recently gaining a PhD.