Reburial of Ancient Remains Near Down Cathedral
A thousand years after their initial burial and eight years following their discovery, the remains of nine individuals have been reinterred.
Outside Down Cathedral, a small grave was prepared to lay to rest the remains of two adults, a young child, and six infants. This burial site is located just yards from what is believed to be the graves of Ireland’s three patron saints: Patrick, Brigid, and Columba.
Discovery and Excavation of Medieval Skeletons
Brian Sloan, an archaeologist from Queen’s University, described the reburial as the closing of a circle that began eight years prior.
The medieval skeletons were uncovered in the grounds of Down Cathedral in 2018, with the oldest remains belonging to a child estimated to be five or six years old, dating back to the 11th century.
Sloan was initially invited by Downpatrick Museum to assist in digging a foundation trench for a high cross in the cathedral’s car park.
"That cathedral is such an important site when we consider the archaeology and history of the local area,"
"So I came up on that cold, wet February afternoon and started digging the excavation, and it quickly transpired that we were actually on archaeology."
A full archaeological dig was conducted in August 2018, revealing a previously forgotten burial ground that provided further insight into the significance of the site.
"In all we uncovered 14 medieval burials.
"We lifted nine of them because they were in direct danger of being damaged by the foundations of the High Cross,"
Sloan explained.
Analysis of the Remains
The nine remains—comprising two adults, a young child aged between five and seven years, and six babies—were transported to Queen’s University Belfast for analysis by Professor Eileen Murphy and her student Lisa White.
"None of them were, what we would call, healthy,"
"Every one of the remains had something wrong with them. There was evidence of tuberculosis. There was pectus carinatum or as it's commonly known, pigeon chest, where the sternum kind of projects forward.
"So it's making us think about the cathedral and about the monastic site in a different way. Maybe it was seen during the medieval period as a hospital as well.
"Maybe prayer is medicine, and they came here for some relief."
Historical Context of Cathedral Hill
Local historian Duane Fitzsimons highlighted the extensive and fascinating history of Cathedral Hill in Downpatrick, which dates back approximately two and a half thousand years.
"This hill was originally Rath Celtair which if you go back into the Ulster Cycle of mythology – when the Ulaid were pushed further east this is where they centred their kingdom.
"Then the likes of John De Courcy comes in in the 12th Century and he establishes Downpatrick as a really important religious centre.
"What was here seems to have been a hospital, that these people, when they came here were very ill and that being here was part of their treatment or recuperation – but obviously they passed away here."
The remains stayed undisturbed until 2018, when the area, which had become a small grass verge between the cathedral car park and the new graveyard, was excavated.
Special Service and Reburial
This week, a special service was held in the cathedral to reinter the remains. Dean of Down, Reverend Henry Blair, addressed the congregation, emphasizing the significance of the remains.
"They represent a half-way stage between us and the time of [St] Patrick."
"It's certainly the most unusual burial I've done in 20 years of ministry,"
"It's not often we have the interment of bones that have been removed by archaeologists, so it's quite unique.
"We thought that when we were moving them it wouldn't be fitting to put them in the new graveyard but into a graveyard that was from their time.
"I don't think it's possible to comprehend that some of these bones go back to 1000AD."
Reflection on the Reburial
Brian Sloan reflected on the importance of the reburial as a way to honor those whose identities have been lost to history.
"We can never put a name to these people, their story had been lost, but now that that story has been told, it's only right that they were returned to the cathedral here today for reburial,"
"Now they are in one of the most revered parts of the graveyard and I'd like to think that when people come and visit St Patrick's grave, they'll stop at it for a minute and say a little prayer for these people too."
