Archaeologists in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, recently made a horrifying discovery while digging up a holy site in Wales.
The bodies of 100 children were unearthed, with one-third of the remains being infants under the age of four, according to experts.
Dyfed Archaeology Trust was excavating an area believed to be the mysterious St Saviours, a 600-year-old friary, but did not expect to discover the remains of 100 skeletons. There is also a possibility the team could uncover an additional 200 corpses.
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The Trust’s project began in February at the site of the former Ocky Whites department store, in a bid to find any trace of where the friary was located.
When Pembrokeshire County Council acquired the old Ocky Whites and announced they were knocking it down to build the town's new food hall, this gave the trust the opportunity to get underground and find out more about the mysterious history of the town.
To the team’s amazement, a puncture wound was found on the skull of one of the corpses discovered. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed but archaeologists believe the wound may have stemmed from a ‘projectile fired’, according to the Western Telegraph.
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This discovery suggests that medieval warfare may have taken place in the town.
Site manager for the dig, Andrew Shobbrook, told the Western Telegraph: “We are hugely grateful to Pembrokeshire County Council, Faithful and Gould, John Weaver Contractors, and all the volunteers for their help with the project.
“This is huge for us to find out more about the story of Haverfordwest. There has been very little archaeological extraction in the town, and we are unearthing some fantastic finds.”
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The team is scheduled to be at the site until January next year and excitement will be growing for what else they may uncover.
A shield was also uncovered from the site, but the design of the shield is unknown, and Mr Shobbrook has asked anyone with any medieval knowledge to come forward.
The shield presents a design with three oak trees on a white frame.
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Dyfed Archaeological Trust Limited is one of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts, and it was created to educate the public in archaeology. Their website states they are 'committed to working to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic environment'.
The group currently holds interest in 43,000 historic sites, a record for south-west Wales.
Topics: UK News
Greg Noble