Remains of Lincolnshire priest discovered after 700 years
The skeleton of a Lincolnshire priest who died 700 years ago have been uncovered in an elaborate grave in the county. Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield uncovered the rare find at Thornton Abbey, which was founded as a monastery in 1139 and went onto become one of the richest religious houses in England. The…
The skeleton of a Lincolnshire priest who died 700 years ago have been uncovered in an elaborate grave in the county.
Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield uncovered the rare find at Thornton Abbey, which was founded as a monastery in 1139 and went onto become one of the richest religious houses in England.
The grave of Richard de W’Peton, abbreviated from Wispeton, was discovered close to the altar of a former hospital chapel.
He died on April 17, 1317.
Laboratory tests have established that Richard was around 35-45 years-old at the time of his death and was 5ft 4ins tall.
The slab also contained an extract from the Bible, specifically Philippians 2:10, which reads; “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.”
The remains were discovered at Thornton Abbey
The discovery of Richard’s grave was made by University of Sheffield PhD student Emma Hook, who found his skeletal remains surrounded by the decayed fragments of a wooden coffin.
She said: “Although he ended his days in the priesthood, there is also some suggestion that he might have had humbler origins in more worldly work; his bones show the marks of robust muscle attachments, indicating that strenuous physical labour had been a regular part of his life at some stage.
“Nor had his childhood been easy; his teeth show distinctive lines known as dental enamel hypoplasia, indicating that his early years had been marked by a period of malnutrition or illness.”
In order to further investigate Richard’s health, researchers in the Department of Archaeology produced a 3D scan of his skull.
The model produced enables detailed features of the skull to be seen with much more ease than with the naked eye.
This revealed a potentially violent episode in the priest’s past: a slight depression in the back of his skull shows evidence of an extremely well-healed blunt force trauma suffered many years before Richard’s death.
None of the investigations shed light on the cause of his demise at a relatively young age, however there is one possibility that researchers are exploring.
Dr Hugh Willmott, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Archaeology, who has been working on the excavation site at Thornton Abbey since 2011, said: “2017 marks not only the 700th anniversary of Richard’s death, but also that of a catastrophic event that is now largely forgotten, but caused years of suffering for the whole of Europe: the Great Famine of 1315-1317.
“Triggered by a whole spring and summer of relentlessly heavy rain that caused widespread crop failures – which vastly depleted the availability of grain for humans and hay or straw for animals – this was a period of mass starvation.
“Although not on the same scale as the Black Death, which devastated Europe from 1346-1353 and which also left its mark at Thornton Abbey, these hungry times struck rich and poor alike, killing millions across the continent.
“By spring 1317, when Richard died, the crisis was at its peak and its events would undoubtedly have affected medieval hospitals like Thornton Abbey, and the priests who served there.
“These institutions traditionally cared for the poor and hungry as well as the sick, so during the Great Famine sites like Thornton would have found themselves on the front line.
“Richard would have ministered to the starving, working in the face of desperately limited resources – and perhaps despite these efforts, he too succumbed to the natural disaster that was unfolding around him.
“For now, such a narrative can only be a matter of speculation, but it does seem clear that – whatever caused his death – at the end of his days Richard was held in high regard, afforded an elaborate burial in the most prestigious part of the hospital chapel, in the very place he would have spent his final years working among the poor and dying.”
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Lincoln MP Karl McCartney has been given a formal warning for promoting his role as a magistrate on a political leaflet.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said Mr McCartney’s advertising of his role as a magistrate on the supplemental list “gave the appearance of seeking to gain advantage, which is contrary to guidance that is intended to protect judicial independence and impartiality”.
A statement from the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland and Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.
They said: “In reaching their decision, they noted that Mr McCartney had previously received a disciplinary sanction for similar behaviour and was unwilling to acknowledge the inappropriateness of his actions.”
The statement includes no further detail on the leaflet such as when it was issued or what it said specifically
The Conservative MP, who took his Lincoln seat back from Labour’s Karen Lee in December 2019, notes his role that he has been a magistrate since 1999 on his website.
Karl McCartney’s “About Karl” section on his website mentions the role.
Following a list of roles he has undertaken since the early 1990s, his website states: “He has been a Parish Councillor, a school governor and a Magistrate since 1999.”
He also referred to it in his election leaflets in June 2017 where he said: “Having sat as a Magistrate in Lincoln for many years, Karl has seen at first hand the effect crime has on our society.”
As does this leaflet from June 2017.
Karl McCartney has been contacted for comment, but did not reply by the time of publication.
A driver who crashed their car into a central reservation in Lincoln, causing it to flip onto its side, was nowhere to be found in the vehicle.
Police were called to the incident on Broadgate at around 3.15am on Monday morning, when a silver Nissan collided with the central reservation as the driver was heading uphill.
The crash caused the car to lose control and roll onto its side, but when emergency services arrived at the scene, the driver was not there.
Police looked for the driver but could not find them.
Eyewitnesses are speculating that a homeless man who saw the crash helped the driver out of the vehicle, but this has not been confirmed.
The crash caused the road to be momentarily closed in the early hours of the morning, before reopening a lane at 4.50am.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “We have not located the driver, so are not aware of any injuries.”