Village '3,000 years older than previously thought'

The excavation uncovered a crouched burial, likely to be for an adult male

An archaeological dig has revealed a village existed nearly 3,000 years earlier than the medieval period that historians initially thought it dated from.

The excavation at Sharnbrook, near Bedford, carried out by the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) uncovered new evidence that people lived in the area as early as 2,500 BC.

The excavations found two burials, including a cremation which could have dated from the Iron Age, Bronze Age pottery, and remains of an Iron Age and Roman farming settlement.

Paul Smits, managing director of Bellway Northern Home Counties, which has commissioned the dig at one of its housing development sites, said the discoveries offered "a richer understanding of the land and the ways people lived".

MOLA archaeologists excavated a cremation burial ahead of housing being built in the village north of Bedford

Before the recent discoveries, historians believed the village was established in the early medieval period (AD 800-900).

One of Mola's finds included a crouched burial, likely to be of an adult male.

Specialists have said that because the remains were found in a "too small grave" it suggests "the remains had partially decomposed before the burial took place".

A cremation burial found at the site had remains in a small urn "set upon another layer of burnt bone".

Mola said: "The cremation also contained small pieces of iron – possibly remains of nails from the funeral pyre."

Chris Chinnock, its reporting team lead, and human osteologist, said the discovery was "really exciting".

"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 cremation urn contained small pieces of iron, possibly remains of nails

Since the dig, further studies of the crouched burial are taking place using scientific techniques to discover when and how the individual died.

Mr Smits said: "It is fascinating to discover that a community was living in this area thousands of years earlier than previously thought."

Redrow Homes is also building in the area - at its Templars Park development.

John Mann, a managing director at Redrow, said: "We look forward to sharing these discoveries with the local community over the coming months and providing an archival legacy for future generations to enjoy."