Builders unearth mediaeval bones in cathedral area

6:14am Tuesday 6th May 2008

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BUILDERS have uncovered human remains dating back centuries while refurbishing a grade-II listed building.

The jawbone and a handful of skull fragments were dug up by contractors working at Worcester accountancy firm Rabjohns in College Yard, near the city's cathedral.

The police were called and cordoned off the basement after the remains, believed to be those of a mediaeval man, were discovered beneath the floor near an exterior wall.

Pete Grayer, Rabjohns' IT director and building project manager, said: "The builders were digging down to put in a ceiling support and the biggest of them got the shock of his life. The jaw bone was the only recognisable piece."

The basement has since been transformed into a staff gym. Historians believe more remains could lie beneath the floors of College Yard's ornate Georgian-era buildings.

Cathedral archaeologist Chris Guy said: "College Yard is the site of a mediaeval city cemetery so building works below ground are likely to find human remains."

When police were satisfied the bones were not recent - possibly dating to back to the 12th century - Worcester City Council's archaeological officer, James Dinn, was called in to clear the remains for removal. He said: "There is definitely a connection. You're trying to sort out the legal picture but also wondering what did this person do, what did they die of? There are many sites around Worcester where burials have been found, including Roman cemeteries."

The bones are now in the care of Worcester Cathedral and are due to be reinterred into the charnel crypt below ground near the city landmark's North Porch. The sealed crypt already contains the remains of dozens of former monks uncovered by mediaeval builders working on the Lady Chapel built on the site of the monks' cemetery in 1224.

Mr Guy said the discovery is the first in the cathedral area since a pilgrim's remains dating from the 15th century were found in 1987.