Reburial of medieval remains 'very emotional'

6 hours ago

Hannah Mitchellin Kendal

News image — The remains of the medieval people were reburied close to where they were discovered

BBC The Reverend Canon Shanthi Peiris stands over four brown caskets which are being buried in the ground outside a church. She is wearing white robes with a purple sash. Shanthi wears large black glasses and has her hair swept back with a purple headband. — The remains of the medieval people were reburied close to where they were discovered

A vicar has described the reburial of 66 medieval people, found during flood management work, as "very emotional".

The remains were discovered at Holy Trinity Kendal Parish Church, Cumbria, when the Environment Agency started work there in 2022.

Among the eight caskets buried in a private ceremony on Tuesday were the 900-year-old remains of a woman named Agnes, whose face was was digitally reconstructed.

The Reverend Canon Shanthi Peiris said it "means so much" to have the remains of the people, who were members of the church, reburied near to where they were found.

Although most of the skeletons were crushed because they had been beneath the churchyard wall for centuries, Agnes' skull was in good enough condition for digital reconstruction.

Face Lab/Liverpool John Moores University The early reconstruction of the face of The Kendal Woman. She is a middle-aged woman wearing a dark turban and she has blue eyes. — Scientists digitally reconstructed the Kendal woman's face using technology

The 66, including adults and children, were found clustered around the edge of the churchyard, beneath a boundary wall where they have been for up to 900 years, the Environment Agency said.

Radiocarbon dating showed the remains dated from the 11th to 13th Centuries.

Archaeologist Steve Dean said it had been "really gratifying" to see people coming to the church and talking about the remains.

"It's been so good to see people engage with their heritage," he added.

Peiris said "hundreds of people" had come to visit the caskets, which were on display at the church, and she was glad it had "brought so much of the community together".