BONES found in a remote medieval village have given scientists their firmest evidence yet that complex cranial surgery was carried out more than 1,000 years ago.

A skull found in Wharram Percy, near Malton, North Yorkshire, showed that medical skills in the 11th Century were much more advanced than previously thought.

The skull belonged to a 40-year-old man, who lived some time between 960 and 1100AD. He had been violently attacked with a blunt weapon and a blow to his head caused a severe depressed fracture.

Close examination of the skull revealed that he had undergone life-saving surgery.

A rectangular area of his scalp measuring 9cm by 10cm had been lifted and the skull beneath carefully scraped away to remove depressed bone fragments and relieve pressure on the brain.

Scientists say that he made a good recovery, living for many years and eventually dying of other causes.

The technique, known as trepanning, is outlined in classical Greek and Roman sources, but no mention of the procedure to treat a cranial fracture survives in Anglo-Saxon literature, according to scientists.

They say that although the skull is the earliest discovered in England showing conclusive signs of this kind of treatment, skulls dating back to Neolithic times reveal that trepanning was performed on individuals who had no head wounds, presumably to treat other problems, possibly including mental illness.

Simon Mays, skeletal biologist at English Heritage's Centre for Archaeology, said: "The peasant was probably involved in the medieval equivalent of a pub fight, or could have been the victim of a robbery or family feud.

"This skull is the best evidence we have that such surgery to treat skull fractures was being performed in England at the time.

"It pre-dates medieval written accounts of the procedure by at least 100 years and is a world away from notions that Anglo-Saxon healers were all about spells and potions."

Wharram Percy is one of the most important archaeological sites in England. It was once a thriving community but fell into a steep decline after being struck by the Black Death.

The village was the scene of one of the longest digs in British archaeological history, between 1950 and 1990, when nearly 700 skeletons were unearthed.