Suspected murder victim laid to rest 500 years after he died

A suspected murder victim has received a church burial some 500 years after he died.

The skeleton of an unknown man, who archaeologists believe lived around five centuries ago, was laid to rest at a church in the New Forest on Tuesday, two years after it was discovered on a nearby beach.

The remains were placed into a handmade wooden casket and buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s church in South Baddesley, Hampshire, after a ceremony that included prayers and a medieval hymn.

The body was found by a member of the public on the nearby Sowley Beach in May 2022 and was initially reported to police.

When it was established that the skeleton was several centuries old, it was passed on to archaeologists who used radiocarbon dating to estimate it had been buried between 1450 and 1650.

After a lengthy investigation, the archaeologists concluded that “foul play” may explain how the body came to be there.

An osteoarchaeologist who studied the 5ft 4in skeleton concluded it was likely to have been a 20- to 25-year-old young adult male after conducting a dental examination.

However, researchers said during this period anyone deceased would be buried within their parish churchyard.

Gareth Owen, senior archaeologist at the New Forest National Park Authority, said: “The area was marshland (as opposed to foreshore) at this time, so the individual is unlikely to represent a victim of drowning who just happened to come to rest here.

“If the individual did not belong to a known ‘parish’ they might be subject to burial in such a liminal location in this period.”

The left forearm was found above the head with the right hand extended out, which was “out-of-kilter” with what one might expect from a formal burial as well as the absence of a coffin or shroud, which would be “expected”, he said.

“[This] might indicate a lack of care,” Mr Owen added.

“It might have been that this was a clandestine burial, the individual being a victim of foul play, but there is no clear evidence to suggest this was the case.”

The congregation at St Mary’s church, which is around two miles from where the body was discovered, was approached to hold a special ceremony to give the unknown man a proper burial.

The mid-morning service was conducted by the Very Rev Gordon Wynne and consisted of a reading, prayers and a medieval hymn before the remains were buried.

Pat Mennie, the churchwarden said: “The church is delighted to be asked to undertake this historic service.”