Hundreds of Skeletons and Ancient Church Unearthed at British University Campus

Archaeologists have made a startling discovery on the property of the University of Gloucestershire’s new City Campus: hundreds of skeletons and the ruins of a medieval church, as per Fox News.

The unexpected find was made during an excavation commissioned by the university in preparation for the campus’s opening later this year.

The University of Gloucestershire announced the discovery on April 11, revealing that the City Campus, acquired in 2021, was built on the site of the former St. Aldate’s Church. The church, which was demolished in the mid-1650s, dates back to the Middle Ages.

Cotswold Archaeology, the archaeological organization tasked with excavating the site, uncovered “limestone and brick foundations, along with around 83 brick-lined burial vaults both within the church itself and in the associated burial ground,” according to a press release. They also found “approximately 150 post-medieval burials, not contained in burial vaults, in the courtyard” and “approximately 170 earlier burials, the majority of which are provisionally thought to relate to the medieval church” during deeper excavations.

In total, the team meticulously excavated 317 skeletons and 83 brick burial vaults.

The discovery of both the church and its extensive burial ground came as a surprise to archaeologists, who were previously unaware of their existence. While the vaults were reportedly cleared in the 1950s to make way for the Debenhams department store that previously occupied the site, the full extent of the historical burial ground remained unknown.

Analysis of the human remains is in its early stages, but archaeologists are already gaining insights into historical health practices. Preliminary findings suggest evidence of the impact of increased sugar consumption on the population dating back to the 16th century.

This latest discovery is one of several notable finds by Cotswold Archaeology in recent months. Last July, the organization announced the discovery of “24 identifiable skeletons” dating back as early as 670 A.D. under a hotel.