Skeletons exhumed at Elsdon. By Dr. E. C. Kobertson. 607 



flooring of the churcli. Such was the accumulation of soil within, 

 the building, that the bases of the pillars were nearly covered and 

 out of sight. The flooring was damp, and a disagreeable musty 

 odour pervaded the church. In reducing the levels to their 

 present state, it was necessary to remove in the Nave some 4 feet 

 in depth of soil, and in the Transepts and Chancel about 2^ feet. 

 In the Nave the soil was removed completely with all remains 

 contained in it down to the subsoil ; in the other parts of the 

 church, about one half of the soil was left. The removing of the 

 earth brought to view an immense collection of skeletons, in every 

 quarter of the edifice. The labourers who removed the earth, 

 kept count of the number of skuUs they carted into the pits dug 

 in the churchyard to receive the bones, and they reported that 

 996 whole skulls were re-interred, besides a large number mutil- 

 ated in the course of the removal. I may fairly estimate that the 

 remains of nearly 1200 of the former chief inhabitants of the dis- 

 trict were thus disturbed and removed from their silent beds, 

 whilst probably 300 or 400 are left still peacefully reposing in 

 hallowed ground. The skeletons bore every indication of having 

 been much disturbed by the interment of those more recently 

 buried. No doubt the intra-mural interments had taken place 

 during hundreds of years, the last having occurred some 80 years 

 ago and thus the bones of the earlier deceased had been fre- 

 quently put out of place to make room for their successors. We 

 thus frequently found skulls lying together in heaps of 3 and 4 

 in one spot. No remains other than bones were found, with the 

 exception of a very few modern coffin handles, with a little de- 

 cayed wood, and in one instance a small quantity of flaxen hair. 

 The only sign of warfare and deadly strife I observed upon the 

 bones so brought to light was upon one skull found in Hedley's 

 Porch, which had during life been cleft open, but the hardy Bor- 

 derer had recovered from the deadly wound, and very probably had 

 lived for many years after its infliction. I picked up several 

 bones of evident antiquity, which showed that their unfortunate 

 possessors had been severe sufferers from rheumatic diseases, the 

 hip joints being distorted and the leg bones immensely enlarged 

 by ossific deposit. Some of the thigh bones in the Chancel were 

 of great length and straightness. I estimated that their owners 

 must have been from 6ft. 4in. to 6ft. 6in. in height. Whilst ex- 

 amining the excavations within the church, I was astonished to 

 find that the north wall of the Nave was very shallow in its 



