During the course of the work a human skull was encountered. The skull was damaged at the time of discovery. Workmen had been removing decorative paving pieces with a hammer and chisel and had encountered the skull in this way. The skull was discovered only 30cm below the surface of the paving.

Inspection of the removed spoil revealed a number of pieces of human bone but there was no evidence to suggest that these were from articulated remains. There were several fragments of cranium and facial bone which had clearly been broken by the chisel. There were also pieces of mandible and numerous teeth. Post-cranial bones were also evident including the sternal end of a rib and a possible piece of pelvis. These elements could have been from one adult individual. One juvenile phalanx with unfused epiphyses was found giving a Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) of two. The remains had clearly been previously disturbed and were mixed. One piece of animal bone was also recovered.

The remains were archaeological in nature and are probably redeposited fragments from graves disturbed by historic groundworks, which could include the construction of the modern wall.

There is ample archaeological evidence to support the conclusion that this area was once part of the graveyard, and was being used in the 12th and 13th centuries. The layout of the graveyard has barely changed since the 1770’s and so it is unlikely that the remains represent post-medieval burials.

The remains recovered during these works were located directly adjacent to the area under investigation in 1997. These remains are redeposited fragments from an area of churchyard that was in use in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Emily Gillott, 2015, A Site Inspection on Groundworks at Church Walk, Newark (Unpublished document). SNT5439.