ROMAN age skeletons have been unearthed at a school in Worcestershire.

The two incomplete adult skeletons, an adult female and a younger adult male, during building works at Overbury Primary School, near Bredon in February this year.

Experts from the Worcestershire County Council Archives and Archaeology Service have now confirmed that remains are from Roman times.

The adult female, aged over 50, was found with hobnails, which are associated with rural Roman agricultural burials.

The other was an adult male, aged 25 to 30 who had signs of degenerative joints and osteoarthritis. Also found were a selection of Roman pots.

Archaeologist Tom Vaughan said: "The remains have been thoroughly examined and found to be from the Roman era. The excavations, including the finds of hobnails with the adult female are typical of Roman internments in the area and similar to recent excavations near Wyre Piddle and St John's, Worcester. It is well known that there was Roman occupation around Bredon Hill."

He said that hobnails are characteristic of Roman burials and may be associated with a physically demanding agricultural lifestyle.

Recent research suggests that females played an important role in Roman agriculture on the continent. Female labourers were likely to have been employed in work on farmsteads, such as preparing food, manufacturing cloth and even general labour.

Mr Vaughan added: "This discovery seems to support evidence that during Roman times there were small farmsteads in Worcestershire, owned or run by a family.

"The recovery and analysis of the remains has provided important information which has contributed to the growing archaeological evidence for the nature of dispersed burial practices during the Roman period in rural Worcestershire."

Cllr Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member for localism and communities, said: "These are very interesting finds and show the importance of carrying out digs like this in order to discover more about our history."