London, April 1 (IANS) One of the largest medieval hospital burial grounds in England has been uncovered under Cambridge University, a media report said on Wednesday.
According to archaeologists, over 400 complete skeletons were found together with parts from about 1,000 bodies during work on St.John’s College in 2010 to 2012, BBC reported.
The remains, dating from the 13th to 15th centuries, are burials from the Hospital of St.John the Evangelist.
The dig beneath the Old Divinity School at St.John’s was led by Craig Cessford, from the university’s department of archaeology and anthropology and a team from Cambridge Archaeological Unit.
Cessford described it as “one of the largest medieval hospital osteoarchaeological assemblages from the British Isles”.
Most of the bodies were buried in neatly laid-out rows between gravel paths, Cessford said.
However, the majority of people were buried without coffins and many were not shrouded suggesting the cemetery was primarily used to bury the poor.
Only a handful of grave-goods, such as jewellery or other personal items, were found, Cessford added.