Dog-walker spies possible 'Saxon short sword glistening in the water'

As if taken from the pages of a Tolkien novel, Bosham resident Mark Chapman was strolling along Shore Road with his dog when he spied the curious item 'glistening in the water'.

After wading in to retrieve the mysterious metal, Mark said he thought it looked like it could be an 19th century cutlass or even a Saxon short sword.

Hidden room inside Chichester's Market CrossMark said: "I was walking the dog and I saw it in the water in Shore Road in Bosham.

"It's got a handle and what looks like a blade and it's about 22" so it could be a short sword.

"It could be a 19th century cutlass of just a piece of iron which fell off a boat.

Mystery of Chichester's 'secret tunnels' continues as woman's tale leaves investigators intrigued"I might see if the museum archaeologist will know anything. It would be very hard to identify a piece of metal that has been in the sea for so long.

"When I first saw it glistening in the water I thought 'oh, it so looks like a sword' — it really did."

After posting the find on social media, commenters suggested Mark should contact Chichester District Council's archaeology officer to find out more.

Objects 'fly across room' of haunted Chichester shopWhat do you think? Get in touch: [email protected]