THE remains of 17th century Scottish prisoners of war discovered during building work at Durham University were reburied in a moving ceremony at a city cemetery today. 

Extensive tests were carried out after they were found five years ago and studies showed they had been held captive in the then-empty Durham Cathedral following the 1650 Battle of Dunbar.

The graveside ceremony reflective of the period was held at Elvet Hill Road Cemetery, less than a mile from where they were found.

During the reburial service people had the opportunity to scatter a handful of Scottish soil into the grave, in acknowledgement of the origins of many of the soldiers.

Professor Chris Gerrard, of Durham University’s Department of Archaeology, said: “It has been a privilege to research these soldiers. I have got to know these individuals quite well – almost every ache and pain they suffered during the course of their lives.

"I have got to know them, but I don’t know their names. They are anonymous to us. All of the ordinary soldiers were, except for those from the Battle of Dunbar who ended up in New England in the US. We have their names.

"This is an anonymous group of 28 individuals being reburied after 358 years. It was important to us to lay them to rest with respect and dignity in a ceremony which is appropriate to the 17th century. It has been poignant to give these men the burial they were denied when they died.”

He added: “We won’t be able to anything further with the human remains, but I do think there are lots of other possibilities for further research.

“I think we have humanised their story and given back their history, because some of these were only young guys, as young as 13-years-old.

"We would have known nothing of them. But now they are probably the best understood group of individuals from Scotland in the first half of the 17th century. Their story will stay with us and will never be forgotten."

The reburial service was designed by Durham Cathedral, and representatives from the Church of Scotland, with the Scottish Episcopal Church were invited to comment, to ensure a dignified final committal.

Metrical Psalms from the 1650 Scottish Psalter and a Bible reading from the 1611 King James Version were included in the service, in keeping with the traditions of those who died.

Canon Rosalind Brown, of Durham Cathedral, said: “The simple graveside ceremony not only reflects the traditions of the 17th century but is also respectful of the circumstances that led to these men dying in Durham.”

The Battle of Dunbar was one of the shortest and most brutal battles of the 17th century civil wars.

In less than an hour the English Parliamentarian army, under the command of Oliver Cromwell, defeated the Scottish Covenanting army who supported the claims of Charles II to the Scottish throne.

After the battle thousands of soldiers were marched more than 100 miles to Durham. Around 3,000 soldiers were imprisoned in Durham Cathedral and Castle and those who survived were transported to different parts of the world including France and New England in the US.