Skeletons found 'holding hands' after 700 years

A couple of skeletons which have
been "holding hands" for 700 years
have been uncovered at the lost
chapel of St Morrell in Leicestershire,
central England.
Two skeletons were found holding
hands, buried at a lost chapel in
Leicester
11 skeletons have been found so
far, but are yet to be analyzed
Early findings suggest one died by
being struck on the head with a
pole axe
Leicester was also the site where
the remains of King Richard III
were found.
Even death couldn't part
two skeletons excavated from a lost
chapel in an English county, found
with their fingers entwined.
A team of archaeologists from the
University of Leicester Archaeological
Services (ULAS) are working with
volunteers on a four-year excavation
project at the site, which overlooks
the small village of Hallaton.
Vicki Score, ULAS project manager,
says the skeletons were placed
together in this position, as there
was enough room in the grave to
have them buried apart.

The remains of King Richard III

Cracking the genetic code of Richard III Aside from the bonded couple, 11
skeletons have been found so far,
which are yet to be analyzed, but
some discoveries have been made
already.
Score says one was of an older man
aged 46 or over who appeared to
have been struck on the head with a
sharp weapon such as a pole axe.
Another, she says, was in his mid-
twenties, with teeth showing severe
childhood trauma during the first
nine years of his life.
"He was buried in a very unusual
position in a pit with his legs splayed
widely apart, arms flexed at the
elbows and hands tucked beneath his
chin.
"We have no idea why he was buried
like this -- it could possibly be due to
a medical condition."
Both skeletons also had lesions on
their skulls which suggest they had
head lice.
The team are hoping to find out
more about how the gravesite was
chosen.
Score says: "We have seen similar
skeletons before from Leicester
where a couple has been buried
together in a single grave. The main
question we find ourselves asking is
why were they buried up there?"
It is thought the chapel may have
served as a pilgrimage, or the main
church possibly refused to bury the
bodies because they were criminals,
foreigners or diseased.
She adds that Roman archaeology
beneath the chapel imply that
something important already existed
there, which made it a special place.
Other findings include the walls and
tiled floors of the site, fragments of
stone masonry, wall plaster, tiles and
lead from the windows. Silver
pennies dating between the 12th and
16th centuries give clues as to when
the chapel was in use.
In 2000, the Hallaton Treasure was
discovered, consisting of Iron Age
coins, parts of Roman helmets and
debris from feasting.
The county was also where the
remains of 15th-century monarch
Richard III were uncovered beneath a
parking lot in 2012, raising questions
about how the controversial ruler
lived and died.