Prehistoric child's body to stay in museum

The bones of a prehistoric child will stay on display at a museum despite a campaign by Druids for their reburial, English Heritage said yesterday.

The remains, dating back to 3,700BC, were subject to "extensive consultation" after Druids argued that the infant should be returned to its original grave.

Now, nearly four years after the request, English Heritage and the National Trust say the body will remain at the Alexander Keiller Museum, near Avebury's famous stone circle, in Wiltshire.

English Heritage said the 5,000-year-old remains of the child, aged between two and three and whose sex is unknown, should stay on view "for the benefit of public access and understanding".

In the summer of 2006, a group of Druids requested the reburial of the bone collection, which was among the contents of the museum gifted to the nation in 1966.

English Heritage, as the government's adviser on the historic environment, has been responsible for them since then. The National Trust owns the museum and has curatorial responsibility.

Sebastian Payne, chief scientist at English Heritage, said: "We respect the beliefs that have led to this request, and we have taken the request seriously.

"These remains are important for our understanding of the past.

"We found that the public overwhelmingly support the retention and display of prehistoric human remains in museums, and that there is no clear evidence for genetic, cultural or religious continuity of a kind that would justify preferential status to be given to the beliefs of the group which requested reburial.

"While every case is different and must be determined on its merits, we feel that the general considerations given to this case are likely to apply to most prehistoric human remains in this country.

"We hope that other museums considering such requests in future will benefit from the evidence we have assembled and made accessible, saving them time and expense in reaching their decisions."