Neolithic and Bronze Ages

It was established in 1998 from archaeological excavations near Meadway and behind Harrold Centre, that Harrold’s very early ancestors dated back to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, around 2500 BC. This places the earliest settlers in Harrold some 4,500 years ago, currently believed to be among the earliest so far known in Bedfordshire.

An interesting discovery, which can be seen in Bedford Museum, is a beautifully decorated pot known as a “collared urn” which was placed in a pit close to a burial mound on the site. This suggests that some notion of an afterlife existed even then.