Researchers just discovered 100s of bodies in a garden outside a church. Now they must solve the mystery of how and why they got there.


How Did They Get There? 

Over 120 bodies were recently unearthed in a garden outside a small British church in the city of Leicester, England. Now referred to as "Leicester's Lost," scientists are eager to find out what happened to these people, whose deaths showed no signs of foul play. 

 Rss Thumb - Archaeological Dig

Leicester's History With Archaeology

The city of Leicester has long been an archaeological hotspot. In 2012, the remains of King Richard III (the last Plantagenet King), who died in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth during the War Of The Roses, were discovered underneath a car park in Leicester.

 Aerial view of Leicester cathedral in LeicesterAlexey Fedorenko, Shutterstock

The Find

In mid-November last year, researchers unearthed a vertical tomb encasing 123 bodies near Leicester Cathedral, a three-minute walk from where Richard III's body now lies.

 Leicester Cathedral Nave, Leicestershire, UKDavid Iliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

How Did They Find Them?

In 2023, Leicester Cathedral built a Heritage Garden after a tenfold increase in visitors due to the discovery of King Richard III's body. This meant excavating beneath the existing grounds and conducting an archaeological survey.

 Isananni, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Archaeological Survey Turned Up 123 Bodies

During their surveying, Mathew Morris, Project Officer at Leicester University's archaeology department, uncovered 123 bodies of men, women, and children.

 NotFromUtrecht, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

They All Died Within A Short Period

Because of the stacking of the bodies in a hurried fashion—with no gravestones and the fact that men, women, and children were all buried one on top of the other—scientists believe they all died within a short space of time.

 Andrew Curtis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Cause Of Death: Unknown

One of the biggest mysteries is that all 123 bodies showed no signs of foul play. This had led to rife speculation about what possibly could have resulted in 123 people being buried in a shaft-like, unmarked grave.

 Sue Hutton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Did They Starve?

One possible reason for there being no evidence of violence is that these people starved. Famine and starvation were among the leading causes of death in Britons in the 12th century. It's possible that these people starved to death, but scientists are betting on another theory...

 Jean Froissart, Wikimedia Commons

Pestilence

While the Black Death would sweep through Europe a century before these people died, other pestilences, such as the Great Bovine Pestilence, might have contributed to their deaths.

 Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Anglo-Saxon Chronicles Confirm Pestilence Presence In 12th-Century England

Ancient texts from the Anglo-Saxons confirm that England was plagued by pestilence during the 12th century, making this the most likely cause of their demise.

 Corpus Christi College, Wikimedia Commons

Successive Cartloads Of Bodies

Researcher Morris and his team speculate that "successive cartloads of bodies were put into these shafts in three deposits, one load at a time".

 AFP, Getty Images

5% Of The Town's Population

Population sizes were minuscule in the 14th century, so the loss of approximately 120 people probably represented about 5% of the town's population.

 The Bridgeman Art Library, Wikimedia Commons

Over 1,000 Bodies From Eight Centuries

The grounds of the Cathedral of Leicester have been the site of many discoveries, including over 1,000 bodies from eight centuries—from the 19th to the 11th century.

 Peter_Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Unusual Occurrence

Morris describes the most recent discovery of bodies as unusual: "It's a continuous sequence of 850 years of burials from a single population in a single place. You don't get that very often".

 Dan Kitwood, Getty Images

Beneath The Bodies: More Archaeology

When exhumed, the Morris team continued to dig, uncovering more archaeological wonders, including evidence of Anglo-Saxon dwellings and a shrine dating back to Roman times.

 Dan Kitwood, Getty Images

Dumped In The Street

Given that none of the bodies were found with clothing, jewelry, brooches, or buckles, they were likely dumped in the street and collected from the roadside, just as had happened during the Black Death.

 Raphael Comber Sales, Shutterstock

Wrapped In A Shroud

Despite being dumped in the street, many of the bodies were wrapped in individual shrouds, consistent with practices of a mass burial, with at least some care for the bodies of the departed.

 Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Only One Of Its Kind

This type of pit burial in a narrow stack is the only kind in the UK. Despite these remains bearing a resemblance to the Black Death, such bodies would have been burned rather than buried, say the experts. The mystery surrounding the deaths of over 120 people continues.

 Kinnerton, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Other Recent Archaeological Finds In The UK

While the mystery and mystique around what killed 123 people took center stage late last year, it's not the only significant archaeological find in Britain in recent months.

 Alan Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

200 Giant Dinosaur Footprints

Last year, a man working in a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, noticed something strange while digging with his front-end loader—what appeared to be dinosaur footprints. Worker Gary Johnson said, "I thought I was the first to see them. It was a bit surreal". What Gary had discovered was one of 200 giant dinosaur footprints.

 Droneski Imaging, Shutterstock

More Than 100 Scientists Descend On The Quarry

Last summer, more than 100 scientists, researchers, and students descended on the quarry and began to dig, uncovering five different trackways of dinosaur prints.

 Paleoninja, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sauropods And Megalosaurus

While most of the tracks came from Sauropods—herbivores that walked on four legs—one particular set came from a Megalosaurus, a huge carnivore roughly 20 to 30 feet long.

 Ballista, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Efforts Turn To Preservation

After the archaeological dig was completed, Natural England and the quarry owners, Smiths Bletchington, turned their attention to preserving the site. It's the largest dinosaur collection ever uncovered in the UK and is worth preserving.

 Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

What's Next For "Leicester's Lost"?

As scientists continue excavating clues as to what happened to the 123 bodies found, it will likely take some time before we have a full picture, but their cause of death—and why they were all buried together in such a fashion—maybe one of the incredible mysteries of history.

 AFP, Getty Images