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Discovery of 500-year-old bones in central Peterborough
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have been confounded by the shock discovery of a medieval burial ground containing human remains outside St John’s Church in Peterborough.
Builders working on the creation of St John’s Square as part of the multi-million pound regeneration of the city centre dug up more than they bargained for on Tuesday when the 500-year-old skeletal remains of four people were discovered just outside the west entrance.
The discovery could scupper hopes of the works being completed by September with architects currently discussing a re-design so that the stairs leading down to the church do not disrupt the burial site.
But the delay could be a side issue when set against the potential revelations it could bring about Peterborough’s heritage, as historical records make no mention of a burial ground in the immediate vicinity of the church and more remains could be found.
Adam Yates, project manager for Northamptonshire Archaeologists, which is overseeing the regeneration work, said: “It was very much a surprise.
“Records make no reference to a grave yard next to the church, so it was a surprise all round to find burials had taken place there.
“The burial ground itself probably dates back to the early days of the church, in or around the 15th century.
“They are consistent with churchyard burials as they are all lined up.”
Julian Limentani, the Peterborough Cathedral architect who is representing St John’s Church, said that it is the church’s wish that the remains are not disturbed, which rules out exhuming the graves.
Archaeologists will instead carry out a “soil scraping” to get a better look at the bones as well as looking to discover what other ground has been disturbed by potential burials.
Little work has been done on the site yet, but a human skull and leg bones can clearly be seen in the shallow holes dug by builders, who will now have to protect the bones when the stairs are built.
Dave Gibson, site manager for builders Osborne’s, said: “We don’t want to disturb the remains any more than we have to so we are meeting with designers to look at how we can build the stairs and ramps down to the church while protecting the bones beneath.”
Paul Middleton, secretary of the Peterborough diocesan advisory committee, said there was nothing to indicate there was a burial site around the church, with the church’s previous graveyard situation on what is now the Crescent Roundabout, by Queensgate.
Other archaeological fins in Peterborough
Bones that are believed to have formed part of a 12th century graveyard were discovered in a back garden in Thorpe Park Road, Peterborough last September.
Coins, pottery, cutlery and clothing dating back to pre-16th century Peterborough was unearthed beneath Cathedral Square last July as a dig was held before the regeneration works began.
A Time Team excavation of the 213-year-old Roman Cross Prisoner of War camp last July found pottery, buttons, glass, dominoes and items carved by prisoners.
Flag Fen, north of the River Nene, is the city’s most famous archaeological site, preserving Bronze Age timber walkways built by Celts 3,500 years ago.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 13 comments to this article
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blackrose76
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 11:58 PMHopefully the remains will be treated with respect and not be disturbed. I know we all carry on everyday not thinking twice about it as for example the queensgate roundabout is an old burial ground, which i use to travel on everyday but the thought of walking around that part of the city centre knowing that there are remains buried there is very eerie. Lets just hope they don't get disturbed, last thing needed is super natural poltergeist activity (which I DO believe in)
Trigger
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 05:11 PMCouncil and the contractors have another excuse ready then.
Brian Gascoyne
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 02:47 PMFor those who take an interest in the history of Peterborough, the discovery of these remains is interesting. St John’s Church was built between 1402 and 1407 and as far as I am aware, the church never had a graveyard around it. The graveyard for the church was sited where the Queensgate round-a-bout is and the remains that were there prior to its construction were exhumed and reburied in the grounds of the Cathedral. It will be interesting to find out a more accurate date of the burial of these remains in order to establish if they were placed there before or after the construction of the church. Given the fact that Peterborough was seriously affected with the Black Death in 14th Century to such an extent that there were not enough people to reap the harvest, it was permitted to bury the dead even in ones back garden. On the other hand it may well be that there was a small piece of ground next to the church for people who were closely connected to the church. It’s a fascinating riddle and I look forward to hearing more from the experts. I wonder how much more lies beneath our feet that could tell us so much more about this city? The history of Peterborough is full of surprises and I honestly feel that if people were to learn about its past, they would realise that it can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the great cities and towns anywhere in the world! I am sure that these finds next to St. John’s will become another important piece of the jigsaw of the heritage of this great city, so don’t be too eager to concrete over it because it is unlikely that we will have a second chance!
Dan
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 02:10 PMIt's probably not much of a surprise, or at least not as much of a surprise as the builders of Bishops Creighton school had when they found the burials there, (that was the former site of St John's church until 1402, the church was reconsecrated in 1407 IIRC). To be honest I'm surprised they've not been found before now.
badwolf
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 01:51 PMso this will be more reason why this wonderful project won't be finished on time, and no offence, if they are 500 years old it's not like anyones going to be missing them or waiting for them to turn up, just get rid and get on with the job in hand
badwolf
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 01:51 PMso this will be more reason why this wonderful project won't be finished on time, and no offence, if they are 500 years old it's not like anyones going to be missing them or waiting for them to turn up, just get rid and get on with the job in hand
fedupwiththephantomdeleter
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 11:36 AMHave they established whether or not Fred West used to live there ?
mrblackbird
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 11:25 AMAre the ancient remains not those of construction workers who were engaged at the start of the fountain installtion project?
The Editor
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 10:56 AMJust so that we are all clear, what do you think about it Chiefy?
Chiefy
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 09:45 AMComment removed by moderator
Chiefy
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 09:45 AMWell, I bet that the lot in the Town Hall are rubbing their hands with joy. This find provideds them with yet another excuse should the work not be comlpleted on time.
Chiefy
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 09:45 AMWell, I bet that the lot in the Town Hall are rubbing their hands with joy. This find provideds them with yet another excuse should the work not be comlpleted on time.
Mark Zuckerberg
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 09:22 AMSurely it's not a complete surprise to find a burial ground outside a church which dates back hundreds of years?
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