Archaeologists in Sharnbrook uncover Bronze Age pottery and remains of Iron Age farming settlement

Discoveries from the site include early Bronze Age pottery, the remains of a late Iron Age farming settlement and two burials, including a cremation which likely dates to the Iron Age as well.

The excavations were carried out by MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) ahead of a development by Bellway Homes Ltd and Redrow Plc.

Archaeologists have extended the village’s origins by thousands of years. The modern village was established in the early medieval period (around AD 800-900), but recent excavations have uncovered new evidence for people living in the area as early as 2500 BC.

The dig has revealed rare fragments of early Bronze Age pottery dating back to 2500-1800 BC. The fragments include two pieces of a beaker which still fit together, meaning it was likely buried here intentionally.

Chris Chinnock, MOLA reporting team lead and human osteologist, said: “This is a really exciting discovery because it is evidence for a much older prehistoric community living here at Sharnbrook than we originally anticipated.

“While we don’t currently have evidence for other Bronze Age features on our site, the remains of Bronze Age burial mounds were discovered in the 1970s near Radwell, on the opposite bank of the River Great Ouse, so we look forward to exploring Sharnbrook’s Bronze Age connections further during our post-excavation work.”

The team of archaeologists have also uncovered the remains of a once thriving Iron Age and Roman farming settlement. Generations of this community worked the land here, marking out their property with an enclosure ditch so deep they had to cut it out of the bedrock.

The team will be sharing more of their findings in a free online webinar on Thursday, March 13 – tickets can be booked using this link

Some of Sharnbrook’s ancient residents were also buried here. A cremation burial – currently being studied by MOLA’s human bone experts – likely dates to the late Iron Age (150 BC – AD 43). The remains were placed inside a small urn. The cremation also contained small pieces of iron – possibly remains of nails from the funeral pyre.  

Close to the cremation was a crouched burial, likely of an adult male, in one of the site’s enclosure ditches. An early examination by specialists has revealed the burial was tightly crouched in a grave which was slightly too small. This could suggest the remains had partially decomposed before the burial took place.

Post-excavation analysis of excavation findings continues, including further study of the crouched burial using scientific techniques, such as radiocarbon dating, to discover when and possibly how the individual died.