Posted on 10/11/2022 5:39:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The burials could be linked to an attack by Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndwr in 1405
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of hundreds of human bodies at a site in Haverfordwest. Dyfed Archaeological Trust uncovered the skeletal remains while exploring a medieval friary on the former site of Ocky White department store in the town’s centre.
Earlier this year archaeologists said they had found the remains of 17 bodies - but believed “many more” were waiting to be unearthed. Now they say they have found the remains of more than 240 people - including those of children.
Many of the remains show signs of having died violent deaths. It has been posited that they could be linked to an attack by French and Welsh forces, led by Owain Glyndwr. It is known that the town was besieged by the rebel leader's forces in 1405. The discovery has been described as "hugely significant".
Read more: The £30m gamble to save a dying Welsh High Street named one of the worst in the UK
Members of the trust suspect that the site is linked with the second location of the medieval friary of St Saviours which up to this point had not been discovered by archaeologists. St Saviours friary was home to eight extremely wealthy blackfriars, who generated their wealth through gifts from landowners, lords and royalty.
d tend to the poor and sick. The building, which dates back to 1258, was destroyed in 1538 by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries. Hundreds of years later, the site was home to the Ocky White department store, which was popular with shoppers for more than a century. The premises shut down in 2013. Pembrokeshire County Council is spending £6.3m on redeveloping the Western Quayside site - which will see the old Ocky Whites department store developed into "an attractive and vibrant local produce destination and marketplace".
Plans for the former Ocky White department store on the Western Quayside development (Image: Pembrokeshire County Council) Of the medieval friary that also once occupied the same location, Dyfed Archaeological Trust's site manager Andrew Shobbrook told the BBC : "It's quite a prestigious place to be buried. You have a range of people, from the wealthy to general townsfolk."
It has been theorised that the burial site could have been used until the start of the 18th century. Approximately half of the remains are those of children, which is said to be consistent with their high mortality rate during this period.
All the bones will be the subject of a specialist analysis before being buried again on nearby consecrated ground. Head injuries were detected among some of the remains, leading experts to believe they could've been involved in battle with wounds perhaps caused by arrows or musket balls, Mr Shobbrook suggests. The remains and other unearthed items such as tiles are being stored at a nearby disused shop after being cleaned and dried. The site is being redeveloped to become a food emporium, bar and rooftop terrace.
Probably a lot of forgotten graveyards all over the world.
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Well they did find Richard the 3 body under a parking garage.
I think I may have seen something on this historical site on a BBC or Brit TV documentary earlier this year when I was stuck inside during a snowstorm.
Would love to go muckraking on the Thames or metal detecting in one of their fields.
Mud larking
“Arrows or MUSKET BALLS” along with tobacco pipes does not sound like the early 1400s to me.
Arrows yes. Musket balls and the tobacco pipes tell of late 1500s and early 1600s.
And I thought our inner city Black Friday scrums were tough.
Shoplifters?
Let the waling begin...
Sounds like they died waiting in line for customer service.
My mind jumped to Aztecs and Mayans.
Those devils were in the UK before Spaniards got to Mexico?
I guess the CRT history books need a few more chapters./s
Thanks nickcarraway.
They were battling over scarce vowels.
its not a wal mart
I see you never watched “Are You Being Served”.
The title fooled me. I couldn’t understand why so many bodies were found in a department store.
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