SKELETONS FOUND ON MEDIEVAL BATTLEFIELDS SERIES
The most recent six-week dig is the latest in a series of excavations at the site that first began back in 2014. Stunning Medieval Treasures Discovered in Wales By Metal Detectorists.Grand Medieval Building Found Under Welsh Public Restrooms.The sandy soil along the beach is the reason why these skeletons have been so well-preserved, despite being in the ground in some instances for more than 1,400 years. Since then, the skeletal remains of approximately 200 people have been recovered, virtually all in excellent condition. The Whitesands Bay seaside burial ground was first discovered in the 1920s. Medieval Wales: An Oceanside Chapel Burial Ground Emerges
The archaeologists are in a hurry to find as many burials as they can as quickly as they can before coastal erosion sweeps this medieval Wales cemetery out to sea. On Whitesands Bay beach in the county of Pembrokeshire, they are searching for the skeletal remains of men, women, and children who were buried in an ancient medieval cemetery, which was in use between the sixth and 11th centuries. To find out more about the Waterloo Uncovered project and its discoveries, please visit from the University of Sheffield and the Dyfed Archaeological Trust are currently working on a dig in southwest Wales that is literally a race against time.
Previous finds by the project include musket balls in the orchard of Mont- Saint-Jean farmhouse, the footprints of a building at Hougoumont Farm that was destroyed in the battle, and evidence of the vital role played by the Scots Guards in preventing Hougoumont from falling into French hands.
SKELETONS FOUND ON MEDIEVAL BATTLEFIELDS FULL
Many of its participants have gone on to enrol in archaeology degree courses as a result of their experiences, with one veteran now working full time as a professional archaeologist. This year, 20 VSMPs have taken part in the project: eleven from the UK, five from the Netherlands, three from Germany, and one from Belgium. It aims to take a new cohort of veterans to Belgium for two weeks each year, to excavate sites in and around Waterloo. The project involves veterans and serving military personnel (VSMPs) who have been injured or are suffering from mental health issues as a result of their service. Waterloo Uncovered was founded in 2015 by Coldstream Guardsmen and UCL archaeology graduates Mark Evans and Charlie Foinette, after Evans was discharged from the army and struggled with PTSD. The Prussian arrival was vital in securing the defeat of the French troops, who wrestled for control of the village several times throughout the fateful afternoon. Metal detector surveys here have provided evidence, such as musket balls, of heavy fighting between French and Prussian troops in the later part of the day. This year has also seen new excavations at the nearby village of Plancenoit, which was behind Napoleon’s front line. ‘Dead soldiers, horses, amputated limbs, and more would have had to be swept into nearby ditches and quickly buried in a desperate attempt to contain the spread of disease around the hospital,’ she added. ‘Finding a skeleton in the same trench as ammunition boxes and amputated limbs shows the state of emergency the field hospital would have been in during the battle,’ she said. Image: Waterloo Uncovered/chrisvanhouts.Īnother of the project’s partners, Véronique Moulaert from Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine (AWaP), explained the significance of the discovery. Team members, including military veterans, excavated the site at Waterloo this summer. ‘We won’t get any closer to the harsh reality of Waterloo than this.’ ‘I’ve been a battlefield archaeologist for 20 years and have never seen anything like it,’ said Glasgow University’s Professor Tony Pollard, the project’s Archaeological Director. The latest discoveries – including parts of at least three horses, one of which looks nearly complete, and the skull and arm of a soldier – are incredibly rare finds. It was at the Mont-Saint-Jean farm in 2019 – in the last season of research before the pandemic curtailed the project’s work – that the remains of three amputated limbs were excavated.įurther analysis revealed one of the limbs had a French musket ball still lodged within it, providing a gruesome insight into the savagery of the battle that led to Napoleon’s downfall. The emperor abdicated shortly after and spent the remainder of his life in enforced exile. Wellington, allied with the Prussian army of Field Marshal von Blücher, defeated French forces under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The farm was the site of the Duke of Wellington’s main field hospital during the battle of 18 June 1815. Human remains discovered at the Mont-Saint-Jean farm complex.
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