Mystery of the skeleton found at Westminster Abbey is SOLVED: Remains present in Roman sarcophagus in 1869 belong to a high-ranking medieval monk, consultants say
The identity of a mysterious skeleton discovered at Westminster Abbey more than 150 years ago may have been uncovered.
Archaeologists found the remains inside a Roman sarcophagus in the grounds of the church in 1869, with an inscription on the tomb initially indicating that it belonged to a wealthy man called Valerius Amandinus.
He is said to have lived in London at some point in the period from 300 to 400AD but a Latin cross on the lid of the coffin dated to the 10th or 11th century suggests the remains may belong to someone who died centuries later.
Now, archaeologists say the bones likely belonged to a high-ranking medieval monk called Aelfwig or Wulnoth.
Professor Warwick Rodwell, Consultant Archaeologist at Westminster Abbey, said: ‘We have two viable contenders for the occupant of the sarcophagus.’
The identity of a mysterious skeleton discovered at Westminster Abbey more than 150 years ago may have been solved
In 1869, archaeologists discovered the skeleton inside a Roman sarcophagus in the grounds of Westminster Abbey
The sarcophagus was first found in 1820, when workmen completing a job on the north side of the abbey accidentally smashed its lid into six pieces.
The damage was repaired when the Roman coffin was officially ‘discovered’ in 1869.
Professor Rodwell and his team have now carried out extensive analyses to understand the skeleton’s identity.
According to their research, the skeleton belongs to a man who was around 5ft 9in tall and died between the ages of 35 and 49.
Professor Rodwell suggests the individual is likely to have been Aelfwig or Wulnoth.
Aelfwig was a medieval monk who died around 1020 after a career as an Abbot at Westminster Abbey, then a Benedictine monastery.
Wulnoth was Aelfwig’s successor, who died in 1049 and is presumed to have been buried at the Abbey.
The professor explained: ‘We do not know the date of birth of either.
‘But either would fit equally well if we assume the Abbot was in his early twenties when the appointment was made and close to fifty when he died.
The sarcophagus was first found in 1820, when workmen working on the north side of the abbey accidentally smashed its lid into six pieces
According to their research, the skeleton belongs to a man who died aged 35–49, and who was around 5ft 9in in height
Excavation of the sacristy site in progress, 2019. The pit from which the sarcophagus was removed in 1869 is labelled ‘S’
‘The fact Aelfwig was already a monk of Westminster might favour him.’
One of the key clues that suggests the skeleton belonged to Aelwig or Wulnoth lies in the fact the occupant was ‘honoured’ with a ‘fine sarcophagus’.
Professor Rodwell points out that his wooden coffin was placed inside the stone burial casket in what could represent an early example of recycling.
The lid was then re-carved to feature a large Latin cross.
As well as uncovering the identity of the skeleton, the researchers also found the outline of a rectangular structure marked out in a white residue left by lime – a substance traditionally used in burials.
‘Although no physical traces of that feature remained, it can only have been a timber coffin, which has completely decayed over the course of the seven centuries that the sarcophagus was buried in the sacristy courtyard,’ Professor Rodwell added.
The sarcophagus is on public display in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey.
