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Hundreds of skeletons were recently discovered buried at a site being redeveloped into the University of Gloucester’s City Campus. It was the location of abandoned Debenhams department store, but the skeletons archaeologists found there hadn’t been doing any shopping.
They were part of medieval and post-medieval burial grounds, according to archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology. Cotsworld had been commissioned by the university to excavate the land because of past finds in the area.
Two years ago, a section of an 18th century church’s external wall and porch were uncovered for by archaeologists carrying out an excavation in the courtyard of the site of University of Gloucester’s City Campus development.
“Gloucester is such a significant place in terms of archaeological study – it’s unbelievable,” Cotsworld archaeologist Cliff Bateman said at the time. “Underneath where we’ve found the 18th century church and medieval and post-medieval burials, there will be Roman buildings in situ. Every time we work in Gloucester, we make new discoveries – it’s a massively important place.”
Discovery under Debenhams
This latest discovery at the site of the former Debenhams, which is being turned into a center for teaching, learning and community partnerships, involved approximately 150 post-medieval burials being found in the courtyard, while deeper excavations revealed around 170 earlier burials for a total of 317 skeletons and 83 brick burial vaults. The Debenhams department store was built on the former site of St. Aldate’s Church, which was founded in the medieval period.
“The medieval church was demolished in the mid-1650s, with documentary sources indicating that much of its stonework was utilized to repair other parish churches in the town, such as those sustaining damage during the English Civil War,” said Steve Sheldon, Acting Principal Manager at Cotswold Archaeology. “A new parish church, on or near the site of the medieval precursor, was constructed in the mid-18th century. The latter survived until the early 1960s when it was demolished to make way for the department store.”
Up until this excavation, the size and form of the medieval church and its burial grounds had been unknown. “As this was an urban church, the story it will tell about the health of Gloucester’s population over a period of around 1,000 years will be most interesting,” said Bateman.