This type of key is known as a slide key and is one of the more common forms used in Roman Britain.

The key has an L-shaped bit with four teeth. The handle is rectangular with a slight expansion towards the circular ‘eye’. The form is known to have pre-Roman (continental) ancestry and use would seem to span the Roman period in Britain.

This key was possibly deliberately deposited in a grave and is associated with the native goddess Epona and has symbolic significance for unlocking the gates of eternity.