Medieval monk's bones 'reburied'

Medieval monk's bones 'reburied'



Calke Abbey

Calke Abbey was donated to the National Trust
The remains of a medieval monk discovered at a South Derbyshire stately home have been returned to their resting place.

A builder discovered the skeleton - nick-named Noel - in December at the National Trust property Calke Abbey.

The remains have been returned to the courtyard where they were found, following tests by an archaeologist.

Builder Mark Webster, who discovered the bones, said finding the skeleton was "quite fascinating".

Drainage work

The stately home was built by the Harpe-Crewe family in 1704 but was the site of an earlier priory.

It was donated to the National Trust 1986.

Builder Mark Webster, who working on the site drainage at the time of the discovery, said: "Once we started to uncover it and realised it was a complete skeleton a few hundred years old it was fascinating.

"He had a complete set of teeth - better than mine - and obviously had a peaceful burial as he was buried with folded arms.

"It was a fascinating couple of days with the archaeologist uncovering it."