Aymestrey burial

The Aymestrey burial is an Early Bronze Age beaker cist found near Aymestrey in Herefordshire. It lies between two Iron Age hill forts, Pyon Wood and Croft Ambrey, beside a tributary of the River Lugg. The site was uncovered in 1987 during gravel quarrying when workers spotted a stone-lined pit. Archaeologists from Hereford and Worcester County Council excavated the burial, revealing the remains of a child curled on its left side. With the skeleton were an earthenware bell beaker and a flint knife, dated to the Early Bronze Age. The discovery added to a small number of similar beaker burials across Britain. Another was found the same year at Achavanich in Caithness, Scotland. Experts including Simon Woodiwiss, Richard Harrison, Frances Lee and Alan Saville studied the Aymestrey find. Their work was published in 1988 by the Hereford and Worcester County Council Archaeology Section. The original pit no longer survives, but the burial has been recreated for display. Visitors to Leominster Museum can see the recreated cist with the child’s remains and grave goods. The display includes the earthenware bell beaker and flint knife placed as they were found. The museum presents the burial in a simple stone-lined setting. Nearby panels explain the Early Bronze Age context and the excavation. The site’s location between the two hill forts adds to its archaeological interest.