Mass Grave
Over 60 bodies have been found in a mass grave between Oxford's former prison and its old castle, dating from the 16th century, writes Kate Busby.
The find was made by Oxford Archaeology, and how the remains came to be here is a mystery.
Although most archaeologists agree that the deaths were a result of typhus outbreak, some think Roland Jenks, a "foul-mouthed and saucy" bookbinder, who was convicted in 1577 of supporting the Pope, may be to blame. Sentenced to have his ears nailed to the local pillory, he laid a curse upon the city. Contemporary reports show that within days hundreds of local men had dropped dead, though women and children were unaffected.
Some evidence suggests that the bodies were not all buried at around the same time. Dan Poore of Oxford Archaeology remarks that there are centuries separating some burials from others, and that "a more extensive excavation [has] uncovered 59 more or less complete skeletons, [dating] from the mid-sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth centuries."
Another blow to the theory is that the bodies never received a Christian burial, making it likely that they were executed criminals. Missing body parts from some of the corpses furthermore imply that they were a resource for anatomists from nearby Christ Church College.
You can see the full story on BBC2's Meet The Ancestors on 16th February.
Photo with Permission from Oxford Archaeological Ltd.
15th Jan 2004