Mass grave from Civil War in line for national award

The site, in York, is one of five finds nominated for magazine Current Archaeology’s rescue dig of the year in its annual awards.

The award is for archaeological surveys and excavations carried out in areas revealed or threatened by development, or preventive measures taken on a previously unexcavated site.

On-Site Archaeology, which made the discovery in 2007, is up against the finding of a rare, low-status Anglo-Saxon settlement in a quarry in Northumbria, a drowned Mesolithic landscape off the coast of the Isle of Wight, the largest coin hoard found in a single pot in Britain, called The Frome Hoard, in Somerset, and archaeological endeavours in Ireland.

The 11th Century church of All Saint’s in York had been previously documented, but there had been no physical evidence of it, let alone the grave – with 113 members of Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary force who are believed to have died from disease, as archaeologists found no battle injuries.

The grave dates back to the Siege of York, in 1644, at the site of the church, at the junction of Kent Street and Fawcett Street.

Excavators found the skeletons tightly packed and neatly arranged in parallel rows, with most laid face-down or on their side.

No buckles, buttons or jewellery were discovered. About 87 of the bodies were male, and most were aged between 35 and 49.

Site manager Graham Bruce said the find was a surprising one.

He said: “It’s certainly a very unusual one, especially the mass graves.

“There are very few parallels in Britain of mass graves from the English Civil War era.”

He added: “That York is big for archaeology is relatively well-known, but some people will say ‘you’ve been digging for so long in York, don’t you know everything?’ “I’ve been digging for more than 20 years, but we’ve still only really scratched the surface.”

The winner will be announced at the Current Archaeology Live conference, at the British Museum, in London, on Saturday, February 26.