In gardens near Leicester Cathedral, archaeologists have uncovered a chilling find: a narrow vertical shaft containing the remains of 123 men, women, and children. This mass burial, one of the largest ever excavated in the UK, dates back to the early 12th century. Despite extensive analysis, the reasons behind this grim discovery remain uncertain.
“There are no signs of violence on the bones,” explained Mathew Morris, project officer at Leicester University’s archaeological services. “This leaves us considering either starvation or disease as the likely causes of death, with pestilence being our primary hypothesis.” Evidence suggests the bodies were deposited in three rapid phases, likely representing about 5% of Leicester’s population at the time.
The discovery sheds light on life in medieval England, offering rare physical evidence of the hardships described in historical records, such as widespread famine and outbreaks of disease. “This pit burial aligns with accounts of severe mortality during the mid-10th to mid-12th centuries,” Morris noted.
The mass grave was uncovered during an archaeological survey for a new heritage learning center at Leicester Cathedral, a site that gained fame after the discovery of King Richard III’s remains in a nearby car park in 2012. The garden, a former burial ground, revealed a continuous sequence of interments spanning 850 years, from the 11th to 19th centuries, along with evidence of Anglo-Saxon dwellings and a Roman shrine.
Initially, the team suspected the pit burial might be linked to the Black Death of 1348, which decimated England’s population. However, radiocarbon dating revealed the bodies were buried around 150 years earlier, raising new questions about the cause of such widespread death.
To uncover the truth, samples from the remains have been sent to the Francis Crick Institute in London for genetic analysis, in hopes of identifying potential pathogens responsible for the outbreak. “This was clearly a devastating event,” Morris said. “Yet, the organization observed in collecting and burying the bodies indicates a level of civic order rather than chaos.”
Notably, the absence of personal items such as clothing fasteners suggests the dead were wrapped in shrouds before burial, implying some degree of care despite the tragedy. “It’s a discovery that resonates with the present day,” Morris added, “reminding us of the resilience and responses of societies facing catastrophic loss.”
