Excavations at a Cropmark Henge near Bredon, Worcestershire

Excavations at a cropmark, suspected to be a henge, at Bredon, Worcestershire, confirmed the status of the site and uncovered evidence for extensive reuse and remodelling in the Middle Bronze Age. This included the recutting of the henge ditch, the construction of a palisade and deposition of cremated human remains. The site was subsequently levelled, probably in the later Bronze Age/ earlier Iron Age. Evidence was also recovered for the early use of Malvernian clay as a source of potting raw materials and Cornish gabbro tempered pottery was also identified. This article places the reuse of the henge within its regional and national context and highlights the evidence for similar activities at other henge sites during the Middle and Later Bronze Age. It is suggested that this renewal of interest in old monuments was linked to the deposition of human remains