Skeleton of an 11th century man, one of the 3,000 burials returned to the church. © English Heritage
The language of Anglo-Saxon England will be resurrected when 3,000 burials are re-dedicated in a special service at St Peter’s Church in North Lincolnshire on Friday March 7 2008.
The skeletons, dating from Anglo-Saxon times up to the mid-19th century, were unearthed during excavations carried out between 1978 and 1984 to discover more about the origins of the 11th century building in Barton-upon-Humber.
The remains have since been used to research diseases such as arthritis, as well as helping to shed light on the lives of our ancestors. English Heritage’s promise to return the burials, which have been housed in a specially built ossuary (bone repository), will now be fulfilled in a pilot project with the Church of England.
“Storing the burials in the ossuary means they will be near to their original resting place,” explained Kevin Booth, Senior Curator at English Heritage. “But it will also permit continued access to one of Europe’s most important collections of bones by scientists and scholars.”
A curator inside the new ossuary, where the bones are now permanently stored. © English Heritage
The re-dedication service will be led by Reverend David Rowett, and based in part on the Eucharist in the first English prayer book from 1549. The Lord’s Prayer will be spoken in Anglo-Saxon, as well as in Latin and Prayer Book English, as a mark of respect to the earliest remains, and in recognition of the unique nature of the Barton burials.
Father David said: “This will be a unique occasion, fully respecting the fact that the bones represent the mortal remains of past inhabitants of Barton. It will be the first time in many centuries this magnificent building has heard the language of those who first built it and worshipped here over 1,000 years ago.”
An exhibition at St Peter's called Buried Lives has been established using information gleaned from the remains. It traces the life, death and disease in the town over 1,000 years, and includes three skeletons on display, the earliest of which dates back to the 11th century.
The service begins at 7.15pm and is open to the public.
Find visitor information for St Peter's on the English Heritage website.
