Archaeologists have unearthed burials dating back over 1,000 years in the garden of The Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. These Anglo-Saxon remains, which include 24 skeletons and material related to several other individuals, are dated between 670 and 940 AD. The discovery has provided significant physical evidence of the early monastic community linked to Malmesbury Abbey.
Abbey’s Early Days: Middle Saxon to the Golden Age
The find was made last year during a routine machine-watching assignment, required as part of the planning conditions for new construction at the hotel. The remains of Anglo-Saxon men, women, and children were discovered in the hotel’s grounds, which are adjacent to Malmesbury Abbey. These findings are particularly noteworthy as they pertain to the abbey's earliest days when it was first established as a monastery.
Paolo Guarino, Assistant Publications Manager and Malmesbury resident said in a press release by Cotswold Archaeology:
“We knew from historical sources that the monastery was founded in that period, but we never had solid evidence before this excavation. The discovery includes remains from the Middle Saxon period, marking the first confirmed evidence of 7th to 9th century activity in Malmesbury.”
These burials offer new insights into the functioning of Malmesbury Abbey during its golden age when it was a leading center of scholarship in Western Europe.