‘Sex crazed’ nun dug up by archaeologists – skeleton of shamed woman found buried face down
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Remains of an ‘immoral’ nun and a stillborn baby discovered after 900 years buried in Oxfordshire
The skeleton of a ‘sex crazed’ nun has been unearthed at an excavation site near Oxford.
The remains of the woman were found lying face-down – a common punishment for nuns thought to be engaged in immoral behaviour.
Archaeologists uncovered around 100 skeletons at the dig site near Oxford United football stadium. They reckon the skeletons are between 600 and 900 years old.
“We knew the church was there and we knew we would find something, but the number of burials was a real surprise,” said archaeologist Paul Murray who is leading the dig.
The skeletons were found lying face-down as a punishment for immoral behaviour ( Image: John Moore Heritage Services)
The site sits next to the closed Priory pub, which is built on the remains of the Littlemore Priory nunnery which was founded in 1110.
According to historians, the nunnery was closed down int he 1500s due to the immoral nature of the nun’s activities.
Being buried face down – a so-called ‘prone burial’ – was reserved for sinners and witches.
They would often be buried some distance away from the church. However, the team found this particular skeleton close to the remains of the nunnery which supports the idea that it was one of the nuns themselves.
The site of the excavation in Oxfordshire
“This woman is buried in the church which suggests she was an important person who had sinned – we can’t know for sure but it could tie in with the story of the behaviour of the nuns,” Murray said.
The archaeologists also found the remains of a stillborn baby which was still inside a casket.
The skeletons will now be used at Reading Univeristy for a study into medieval women.
Source: mirror.co.uk
Remains of an ‘immoral’ nun and a stillborn baby discovered after 900 years buried in Oxfordshire The skeleton of a ‘sex crazed’ nun has been unearthed at an excavation site near Oxford. The remains of the woman were found lying face-down – a common punishment for nuns thought to be engaged in immoral behaviour. Archaeologists uncovered around 100…
Remains of an ‘immoral’ nun and a stillborn baby discovered after 900 years buried in Oxfordshire The skeleton of a ‘sex crazed’ nun has been unearthed at an excavation site near Oxford. The remains of the woman were found lying face-down – a common punishment for nuns thought to be engaged in immoral behaviour. Archaeologists uncovered around 100…