Twenty skeletons - thought to be more than 300 years old - have been unearthed on a Plymouth building site.Archaeologists have spent the past two weeks digging up the bones on the former Crescent Cars site at the junction of Athenaeum Street and Notte Street, in the city centre.
They originally thought there were just four sets of bones on the site - but now they realise they have discovered an entire burial ground.
The first set of bones was found by contractors working on the site, however digs and investigations by experts from Exeter Archaeology have since been carried out.
They originally thought there were just four sets of bones on the site - but now they realise they have discovered an entire burial ground.
The first set of bones was found by contractors working on the site, however digs and investigations by experts from Exeter Archaeology have since been carried out.
History experts from Plymouth City Council have also been involved - and they say it could turn out to be one of the most exciting archaeological finds in the city for a long time.
The site - which used to house Crescent Cars before it was demolished - is being prepared to make way for a seven-storey Abbey Manor Development Ltd office block. Contractors Ashcroft Demolition Ltd have been clearing the site in preparation for the foundations in the development to be dug out.
Dr John Salvatore, historic environment officer for Plymouth City Council, said: "It was intriguing when we first went on site a couple of weeks ago, but now it has turned into a more mystifying story.
"Exeter Archaeology is deep in research over the finds, so we still don't know many answers - but we now believe it may have been a naval burial ground.
"There are about 20 skeletons and, amazingly, two of them are amputees."
Dr Salvatore said that one of the most intriguing skeletons had had his right leg sawn through and it was "pretty certain" that he had died as a result of the amputation.
Dr Salvatore said: "Another amputee on the site had had his leg amputated, but the bone had healed over - so he survived for a significant length of time after the operation.
"We are coming to the conclusion that it was a naval burial site, but there is a lot more work to do. We have yet to find any female burials.
"It probably dates to the 18th century. It will be a major find in Plymouth if it turns out to be naval, due to the rich naval history connected with the city.
"These could be sailors who lost limbs in action - or they could have lost their limbs in accidents. It is a fascinating find."
Dr Salvatore said the bones will be reburied once studies have been carried out on the most well-preserved skeletons and the two amputees.
The discovery of the bones comes just a few weeks after news that ancient caves where Plymouth's oldest known human remains were discovered are under threat, according to experts. As reported in The Herald, the Cattedown Bone Caves are next to a site earmarked for a concrete processing plant.
The site - which used to house Crescent Cars before it was demolished - is being prepared to make way for a seven-storey Abbey Manor Development Ltd office block. Contractors Ashcroft Demolition Ltd have been clearing the site in preparation for the foundations in the development to be dug out.
Dr John Salvatore, historic environment officer for Plymouth City Council, said: "It was intriguing when we first went on site a couple of weeks ago, but now it has turned into a more mystifying story.
"Exeter Archaeology is deep in research over the finds, so we still don't know many answers - but we now believe it may have been a naval burial ground.
"There are about 20 skeletons and, amazingly, two of them are amputees."
Dr Salvatore said that one of the most intriguing skeletons had had his right leg sawn through and it was "pretty certain" that he had died as a result of the amputation.
Dr Salvatore said: "Another amputee on the site had had his leg amputated, but the bone had healed over - so he survived for a significant length of time after the operation.
"We are coming to the conclusion that it was a naval burial site, but there is a lot more work to do. We have yet to find any female burials.
"It probably dates to the 18th century. It will be a major find in Plymouth if it turns out to be naval, due to the rich naval history connected with the city.
"These could be sailors who lost limbs in action - or they could have lost their limbs in accidents. It is a fascinating find."
Dr Salvatore said the bones will be reburied once studies have been carried out on the most well-preserved skeletons and the two amputees.
The discovery of the bones comes just a few weeks after news that ancient caves where Plymouth's oldest known human remains were discovered are under threat, according to experts. As reported in The Herald, the Cattedown Bone Caves are next to a site earmarked for a concrete processing plant.
(Matt Fleming, The Herald - 3 May 2007)
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