Bronze Age burial urn on display in Warwickshire

A rare Bronze Age burial urn, discovered by archaeologists in 2014, is set to go on display in Warwickshire for the first time.

The urn was discovered by archaeologist Bryn Gethin during the digging of a foundation trench for a new house in Kenilworth in March.

Experts say it dates back to the Early Bronze Age, between 2500BC and 1800BC, and contained the "earliest human inhabitant" found in the area.

It will be displayed in Kenilworth.

The urn was found in Clinton Lane in foundation trenches which were being dug for a small housing development.

Mr Gethin, a project officer with Archaeology Warwickshire, said: "I was looking for evidence of medieval settlement, and was surprised to see what looked like cremated bone fragments in the side of a trench.

"Further investigation revealed the bones were underneath a type of prehistoric pot known as a collared urn.

"These date from the Early Bronze Age period, between 2500BC and 1800BC but we had to send samples of bone to be radiocarbon dated to confirm the age of the burial".

The landowner donated the urn to Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society.

Stuart Palmer, a business manager from Archaeology Warwickshire, said: "Although a few flint tools that are potentially older than this find have previously been discovered in Kenilworth, this is certainly the earliest known human inhabitant of the area.

"It is possible the burial was originally covered by a mound that would have been prominent on the skyline but which has long since disappeared".

Archaeology Warwickshire, the council's in-house archaeology team, was also behind the discovery of a Roman child's coffin in 2013 dating back more than 1,600 years.

Jeff Clarke, a Warwickshire councillor, said: "Along with the remains of Roman child, Oriens, the Kenilworth Urn is one of [Archaeology Warwickshire's] most fascinating finds."

The urn will be on display in Kenilworth's Abbey Barn Museum from 5 April until mid-September.