Archaeologists made a stunning discovery beneath a British university’s property, uncovering hundreds of skeletons and the remains of a medieval church, an unexpected find during a routine excavation.
The University of Gloucestershire revealed in a press release yesterday that the findings were made on its City Campus, a site it acquired in 2021.
Formerly home to a department store, the property is set to open later this year as part of the university’s expansion, reports Fox News.
The university commissioned Cotswold Archaeology to conduct an excavation of the site. During their work, archaeologists came across the ruins of St. Aldate’s Church, which dates back to the Middle Ages and was demolished in the mid-1650s.
According to a statement, excavators uncovered “limestone and brick foundations, along with around 83 brick-lined burial vaults both within the church itself and in the associated burial ground.
“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.”
In total, 317 skeletons and 83 burial vaults were found and carefully excavated.
The discovery was a complete surprise to archaeologists, who had no prior knowledge of the church or its burial ground.
The burial vaults were likely cleared in the 1950s to make room for the Debenhams department store that previously occupied the site.
Cotswold Archaeology acting principal manager Steve Sheldon said, “A new parish church, on or near the site of the medieval precursor, was constructed in the mid-18th century. The latter survived until the early 1960s when it was demolished to make way for the department store.”
Although the full footprint of the medieval church wasn’t located during the current dig, Sheldon added, “The identification of a limestone wall with surviving lime plaster most probably represents part of the earlier church.”
Analysis of the human remains is still in its early stages, but researchers are already uncovering clues about past health practices.
“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.
Comprehensive findings from the excavation will be published in due course.
This dig adds to a growing list of recent discoveries by Cotswold Archaeology. In July of last year, the organization announced it had uncovered “24 identifiable skeletons” beneath a hotel, with some remains dating back to as early as 670 A.D.
