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300+ Skeletons, Medieval Church Found Beneath UK University Campus [WATCH]

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Archaeologists working at the University of Gloucestershire’s City Campus have uncovered an unexpected and significant discovery beneath the grounds of the school: a medieval church and more than 300 human skeletons, as reported [1] by Fox News.

The University, which acquired the property in 2021, announced the finding in an April 11 press release. The site, located on the grounds of a former department store, had been undergoing excavation in preparation for the new campus development.

Commissioned by the university, Cotswold Archaeology conducted the excavation and uncovered the remains of a church identified as St. Aldate’s.

Historical records suggest the church dates back to the Middle Ages and was demolished in the mid-1650s. The site also included a burial ground both within and surrounding the church structure.

According to the excavation report, archaeologists discovered limestone and brick foundations, along with approximately 83 brick-lined burial vaults and 317 human skeletons.

“Approximately 150 post-medieval burials, not contained in burial vaults, were identified in the courtyard. Deeper excavations revealed approximately 170 earlier burials, the majority of which are provisionally thought to relate to the medieval church.”

Archaeologists were reportedly unaware of the presence of the church or the burial ground before the dig began. Steve Sheldon, acting principal manager at Cotswold Archaeology, said the area had undergone major changes over the past several centuries.

Image Credit: © MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK [5]
Archaeologists and archaeology students search for artifacts Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at the site of a 600-year-old Native American settlement in a farm field off Spring Bay Road in East Peoria. Archaeologist Dana Bardolph and her students joined UC-Santa Barbara professor of anthropology Greg Wilson and archaeologists from the Illinois State Archaeological Survey to excavate the site this summer after mapping it last fall.

“A new parish church, on or near the site of the medieval precursor, was constructed in the mid-18th century,” Sheldon said. “That church survived until the early 1960s when it was demolished to make way for the department store.”

“The discovery came as a complete shock to archaeologists, who were unaware of the church or its burial ground.”

The team believes a limestone wall with surviving lime plaster may be part of the original medieval church, even though the full footprint was not recovered during the current excavation.

Analysis of the remains is still in its early stages, but researchers have already identified early signs of health trends among the population.

“For example, on a very basic level, the impact of increased sugar in the diet during the 16th century was visibly clear in terms of dental health,” the university noted.

The full results of the excavation and study of the remains are expected to be published at a later date.

This latest find follows another significant announcement from Cotswold Archaeology last July, when the organization uncovered 24 skeletons dating back as early as 670 A.D. beneath a hotel development.