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Two 1,000-year-old skeletons holding hands found by archaeologists in Leicesters

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Miranda
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« on: September 19, 2014, 05:02:54 pm »

Two 1,000-year-old skeletons holding hands found by archaeologists in Leicestershire

By Leicester Mercury  |  Posted: September 10, 2014

By Cheslyn Baker
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Volunteers Lotty Wallace and Ken Wallace work on a small section of the excavation.
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Centuries-old skeletons holding hands have been uncovered at a “lost” chapel by archaeologists.

The remains, of a man and a woman, were found at the Chapel of St Morrell, an ancient site of pilgrimage in Hallaton.

Tiles from a Roman building, were found underneath the chapel.

The dig, by Hallaton Fieldwork Group volunteers, has been taking place for two weeks a year for four years.
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The skeletons were discovered this week. A condition of the licence for the dig is that no photographs can be taken of the bodies.

Leading the project is professional archaeologist Vicky Score, of the University of Leicester, who works on the project during her holidays.

She said carbon-dating on nine skeletons uncovered since the dig began had revealed them to be from the 14th century.

It is believed the pair holding hands are of a similar age.

The skeletons have been removed to the university for further investigation.

Vicky said some of the nine skeletons had stones placed on top of their bodies.

“This was a tradition popular in eastern Europe with the idea of keeping the dead down,” she said.

Vicky said the earliest mention of the chapel in Hallaton was in a will of 1532.

“What makes the discovery of the medieval chapel doubly exciting is to find the remains of a previous Roman building underneath it,” she said.

“It shows this ground has been used as a special sort of place by people for at least 2,000 years.

“It also seems to tie in with the fact this is where the ancient bottle kicking contest starts.”

The chapel was located after research by local historian John Morrison.

He said: “Antiquarians over the ages have referred to a chapel somewhere in Hallaton.

“It was a case of piecing evidence together and then getting in geo-physicists to take images of the land from above to locate the spot for our dig.”

Saint Morrell became the 4th Bishop of Anjou, France, in the year 430.

John said: “We think he was brought over in 1170 with the Anjou people, when that area of France became united under Henry II – the first of the Plantagenets.”

In 1622, a writer was noting that within living memory “multitudes came to Hallaton chapel to be cured”.

The Iron Age Hallaton hoard, including a Roman helmet and coins, was discovered 14 years ago about 500 metres away.

On the strength of that find, the heritage group received lottery funding, which has enabled the dig to take place.

Vicky said she was hoping it would eventually fill in the gap between the Roman and medieval periods.

“We are missing about 500 years,” she said. “We don’t know what happened here during that time.”

Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/1-000-year-old-skeletons-holding-hands/story-22904104-detail/story.html#FuuxjwJ6uHLVxuqw.99
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Miranda
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« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2014, 05:05:46 pm »


'Lost chapel' skeletons found holding hands after 700 years

10 hours ago
‘Lost chapel’ skeletons found holding hands after 700 years
A couple who have been holding hands for 700 years have been uncovered at the ‘lost’ chapel of St Morrell in Leicestershire. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services

Some relationships last a lifetime – and University of Leicester archaeologists have discovered that they can last even longer after unearthing two skeletons at a lost chapel in Leicestershire that have been holding hands for 700 years.
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The happy couple refused to be parted by death when they were discovered by a team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) working with local volunteers during an excavation at the Chapel of St Morrell in Leicestershire, a site of pilgrimage in Hallaton during the 14th Century.

The four year excavation project with the Hallaton Fieldwork Group (HFWG) has revealed the full plan of the chapel as well as the cemetery and evidence that the hillside has been used since at least the Roman period.

As well as the touching skeletal union, the excavations have also identified the walls and tiled floor of the chapel as well as fragments of stone masonry, wall plaster, tiles and lead from the windows. A number of silver pennies dating between the 12th – 16th centuries have also been found on the site indicating when the chapel was in use.

Vicki Score, ULAS project manager, said: "'We have seen similar skeletons before from Leicester where a couple has been buried together in a single grave. The main question we find ourselves asking is why were they buried up there? There is a perfectly good church in Hallaton. This leads us to wonder if the chapel could have served as some sort of special place of burial at the time."
‘Lost chapel’ skeletons found holding hands after 700 years
Members of the team excavating and recording the chapel and the cemetery. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services. Credit: ULAS

The team believe the chapel may have been an area of pilgrimage. Alternatively, the bodies might have been refused burial in the main church, perhaps because they were criminals, foreigners or sick.

A total of 11 skeletons have been excavated so far, all orientated east-west in the Christian tradition and radiocarbon dated to the 14th century.
‘Lost chapel’ skeletons found holding hands after 700 years
Members of the team excavating and recording the chapel and the cemetery. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services. Credit: ULAS

Roman archaeology found beneath the medieval chapel suggests that the hilltop, which is the starting point for the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking, has been a special place for over 2000 years.

http://phys.org/news/2014-09-lost-chapel-skeletons-years.html
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Miranda
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« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2014, 05:06:32 pm »



A couple who have been holding hands for 700 years have been uncovered at the ‘lost’ chapel of St Morrell in Leicestershire. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services

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Miranda
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« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2014, 05:06:58 pm »



Members of the team excavating and recording the chapel and the cemetery. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services. Credit: ULAS

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-lost-chapel-skeletons-years.html#jCp
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Miranda
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« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2014, 05:07:28 pm »



Members of the team excavating and recording the chapel and the cemetery. Credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services. Credit: ULAS

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-lost-chapel-skeletons-years.html#jCp
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