Durham skeletons were Scottish prisoners from civil war’s Battle of Dunbar
ByPress Association
The skeletons discovered in a mass grave in Durham that have been identified by experts as the remains of Scottish prisoners of war which laid untouched for almost 400 years.
Skeletons discovered in a mass grave in Durham are the remains of Scottish prisoners of war which laid untouched for almost 400 years, experts have found.
Researchers from Durham University identified the bones as coming from soldiers captured after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650.
It was one of the bloodiest battles of the 17th Century Civil Wars, when Oliver Cromwell’s troops won an unexpected victory against Scottish supporters of Charles II.
The Dunbar prisoners were taken south to Durham Castle, now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, where around 1,700 died of malnutrition, cold or disease after the 100-mile march.
In November 2013, archaeologists got to work on the remains, which were found during work at Palace Green on a new cafe.
Tests on the jumbled remains of between 17 and 28 people led to the conclusion that they were Scottish soldiers.
Durham skeletons were Scottish prisoners from civil war’s Battle of Dunbar
