Analysis of a medieval mass grave has confirmed that the 48 individuals inside died during the Black Death in the UK.
The ancient pit was discovered in Thornton Abbey Lincolnshire and dates back to the 14th century.
This discovery is being labelled as nationally important because it provides fresh insight into how the deadly pandemic affected rural communities.
The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, resulted in the deaths of half of England’s population.
This pandemic occurred between 1348 and 1349, although there have been other instances of similar plagues throughout history.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of archaeological evidence from this time period.
The mass grave was first discovered back in 2013 by researchers from the University of Sheffield.
Analysis of the skeletons found was recently published in the journal Antiquity.
Poor preservation at the site indicates there may have been even more bodies that have disintegrated.
The 48 skeletons appear to have been buried within days of each other.
The bodies, many of them bound in shrouds, are thought to have been placed in the grave with care.
A single catastrophic event is likely to have killed these medieval people and that event is now thought to have been the Black Death.
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