Archaeologists stumble onto site with 317 skeletons and ancient church beneath campus in England

Yahoo

23-04-2025

More than 300 human skeletons were discovered recently by archaeologists excavating property for a British university in Gloucester, England.
According to the New York Post, the hundreds of skeletons, as well as an ancient church site, were found on property that will soon house the University of Gloucestershire's city campus.
'The University commissioned Cotswold Archaeology to carry out an extensive excavation at the location of the former Debenhams store which is currently being transformed into a modern centre for teaching, learning and community partnerships, opening this year,' wrote the university in a press release.
During the excavation, archaeologists discovered remnants of two churches that occupied the area at different times. There were also brick burial vaults found with the site of the newer church; those burial vaults had previously been cleared out ahead of the department store being built.
Archaeologists found 150 post-medieval burials that were not inside burial vaults. Deeper excavations uncovered around 170 earlier burials, many of which are believed to be related to the medieval church, per the release.
In total, the crews found 317 skeletons and 83 brick burial vaults. The burials have been recorded and excavated by the archaeological team.
The archaeologists also recovered multiple stone objects, including a mid-14th-century window arch.
'These objects have been retained on site, following archaeological recording, and will be displayed on site for students, staff and visitors to City Campus to appreciate once the site is fully operational,' Sheldon said.
The excavation also revealed evidence of Roman activity, 'including the remains of walls where the stones have been systematically removed, probably for use elsewhere; timber stakes and planking, a metaled courtyard surface and a small number of pits and ditches,' according to the release.
The area was originally home to St. Aldate's Church, which was founded in the medieval period and was demolished in the mid-1650s. Sources indicate that stonework from the church was taken and utilized to repair other churches in the town, per the university's release.
No previous archaeological investigations had taken place at the site, so the size and form of the medieval church were unknown.
After the church was destroyed, a new church on or near the site of the medieval one was built in the mid-18th century and stood until it was demolished to make way for the department store in the early 1960s.
Cotswold archaeology's excavation revealed the full footprint of the post-medieval church, marked by limestone and brick foundations. It also revealed approximately 83 brick-lined burial vaults both in the church and the associated burial ground.
'Although the footprint of the medieval church was not identified during the current archaeological works, the identification of a limestone wall with surviving lime plaster most probably represents part of the earlier church,' said Steve Sheldon, acting principal manager at Cotswold Archaeology.
He added that the two churches were not built on top of each other and the older one was further south.
'As this was an urban church, the story it will tell about the health of Gloucester's population over a period of around 1,000 years will be most interesting. 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 full results of these studies will be published in due course,' said Cliff Bateman with Cotswold Archaeology.
Bateman said that the on-site archaeological works are complete, but they will continue to conduct a scientific analysis of the objects and human remains found on the site.