General Chat

so, another of England's long-dead kings is going to be dug up and re-buried ............


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3013643/Is-Britain-s-medieval-monarchs-dug-Archaeologists-dig-King-Stephen-grandson-William-Conquerer-school-playing-field.html



the name will be familiar to anyone who loved the Caedfael Mysteries :-)

Ghouls & ghoul sightseers.

I like the fact that, under the pictures, they tell us that the archaeologist is the one on the left and King Stephen is on the right; just in case we get confused. :-)

You don't suppose the kids at that school buried him in the sandpit and forgot about him, do you? :-S :-D

http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=stephen

They said they were going to get him an ice-cream.

Was that King Stephen or Stephen King? :-S

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HjURCQHV4wAC&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=king+stephen+ice+cream&source=bl&ots=qmnnOnCX52&sig=NYgxzk8GDGCd1WPZA7hIi1ij8D0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=disVVcasLIX4UNqdg-AD&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=king%20stephen%20ice%20cream&f=false

:-D

I wonder how long it will be before we get a cross between Time Team and the X Factor with people voting to decide who will be dug up next... :-S

Suitable hat........CIB

Criminal Investigations Bureau

Mind you, this sort of thing has been going on for some time.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great

"Alfred was originally buried temporarily in the Old Minster in Winchester; then, four years after his death, he was moved to the New Minster (perhaps built especially to receive his body). When the New Minster moved to Hyde, a little north of the city, in 1110, the monks were transferred to Hyde Abbey, along with Alfred's body and those of his wife and children, which were presumably interred before the high altar. Soon after the dissolution of the abbey in 1539, during the reign of Henry VIII, the church was demolished, leaving the graves intact.[118] The royal graves and many others were probably rediscovered by chance in 1788 when a prison was being constructed by convicts on the site. Prisoners dug across the width of the altar area in order to dispose of rubble left at the dissolution. Coffins were stripped of lead, and bones were scattered and lost. The prison was demolished between 1846 and 1850.[119] Further excavations in 1866 and 1897 were inconclusive.[118][120] In 1866, amateur antiquarian John Mellor claimed to have recovered a number of bones from the site which he said were those of Alfred. These later came into the possession of the vicar of nearby St Bartholomew's Church, who reburied them in an unmarked grave in the church graveyard."

Poor old Oliver Cromwell's corpse was dug up, hanged in chains for public display purposes & generally mistreated.

Hope they get the correct bones as his wife and adult son were also buried there. Eustace was about 23/24 when he died so should be able to tell from teeth. Wonder if they'll do DNA on them if found?

Alfred next maybe?

Is it about finding our past or helping somebody's coffers for the future? Leicester have had lots of visitors already!!!!!!!!!!!!