New renovations throughout England have revealed an increasing amount of (intriguing) old burial sights of late, including the amazing discovery of a battered Norman knight among 2,500 skeletons at the Hereford Cathedral. The suspected knight was approximately 45 years (or more) at the time of his death, and laid to rest in a stone-lined grave, a type of grave, commonly used between the 12th and 14th centuries, researchers reported.
Long the center of a diocese dating back as early as the 6th centur, Hereford Cathedral was dedicared to 2 patron saints, the Virgin Mary and Saint Ethelbert (beheaded by Offa, King of Mercia in the year 792 Offa after changing his mind about giving his daughter to the monarch in marriage). Following the execution, Ethelbert’s body was laid to rest at the site of the “modern” cathedral by “a pious monk.”’ It was after this that “tomb miracles” were said to have occurred.
According to Andy Boucher, regional manager at Headland Archeology (a commercial archeological company that works with construction firms throughout the UK), the present cathedral was erected in the 12th century.
Judging by the enormous amounts of abuse to the skeleton, the knight most likely participated in numerous jousting matches, since all wounds seemed to have been inflicted by blunt force, rather than sharp-edged weapons. Four of his ribs showed healed fractures that possibly occurred at the same time and were in the process of healing when he died, while two other ribs showed signs of trauma. In addition, Boucher stated that three of his teeth had been knocked out, and “his left lower leg has an unusual twisting break, one that could have been caused by a direct blow or a rolled ankle.”
The archaeologists also found several other intriguing human remains, including those of a 20-year old man with leprosy and a shrouded woman with a severed hand. All the bodies will be reburied under the supervision by the Cathedral.
