HISTORIANS have traced the descendants of some of the Scottish soldiers who survived being held prisoner in Durham Cathedral.

During building work three years ago, the remains of around 20 skeletons were found buried in a mass grave just off Palace Green.

Forensic analysis by Durham University proved they were the remains of Scottish soldiers captured in the brutal Battle of Dunbar in 1650.

Around 3,000 Scots were marched to Durham and held captive in the empty cathedral, where an estimated 1,700 died.

Historians have now trawled archive evidence to trace the fate of the survivors and discovered they were sent to work at sites across England and as far afield as the USA and Barbados.

The research has now been published in a paper, which shows some Scottish captives sent to work at the salt pans in South Shields, others were sent south to help drain The Fens in the East of England and others to France and Ireland for military service.

Many were sent to work as servants in the Americas and, using records from both sides of the Atlantic, Dr Pam Graves, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology has traced what became of them.

Dr Pam Graves said: “There is a wealth of information about the fate of the Scottish soldiers during and after their imprisonment in Durham, but it is only when you draw all this together that you get a real sense of what became of these men.

“Many were sent as indentured servants, to work for a contracted length of time in order to earn their release.

“Documents from the time tell us the names of the soldiers sent to the USA, where they were sent to and even the name of the ship they voyaged in.

“Tracing their names through history also shows us what these men did once they were released from indenture.

“Some went on to become successful farmers and we know there are many descendants of these men still living in the USA today.”

The project team has recently travelled to the USA to meet descendants of some of the soldiers who were sent there nearly 400 years ago.

Once research on the remains is completed, the skeletons will be reburied in Durham City, as close as possible to their original burial site.

Later this year, the University plans to hold a commemorative event and dedicate a plaque to the soldiers’ memory.