"Extraordinary" mass grave with 4,500 bodies found on Bristol housing site
It's thought the human remains date back to the 1700s
Last updated 23rd Oct 2024
Archaeologists have discovered a mass grave containing a "significant number" of bodies on land in Bristol being prepared for housing.
Housing developer Vistry, which has paid for the work, said as many as 4,500 people have been found on the site in Stapleton, formally home to the Blackberry Hill Hospital, which its thought could date back to the 1700s.
A report published by the dig team from Cotswold Archaeology calls it an "extraordinary" discovery.
Why are so many bodies buried there?
It's an obvious question I'm sure you're all asking...
The site has a complex history, which it's thought provides the answer.
The land was first used from 1780 for a prisoner of war camp known as Stapleton Prison.
During that period, foreign fighters, largely sailors captured during conflicts with France, Spain, Holland and the early United States were held there and, it would appear, often died there.
Significantly the site's use for this pre dates the creation of the Norman Cross camp in Huntingdoneshire, which is sometimes described as the world's first purpose built prisoner of war camp.
In the 19th century it was then used as a hospital, including in 1832 when Bristol was hit by a cholera outbreak and in 1837 it was turned into a Victorian Workhouse, which were kind of like homeless shelters but notoriously brutal, providing people with food and shelter in exchange for manual labour.
It's thought the remains are likely to date from each of these three periods.
A statement sent to Magic Classical by housing developer Vistry, says research on the remains will "contribute to understanding of Bristol's social and economic history".
What's happening with the site now?
According to Vistry, which is hoping to build homes there, "post-excavation research" remains ongoing, with a full report on the discoveries due to be published in early 2026.
The majority of the human remains that have been discovered have already been reinterred on-site, we're told, with others continuing to be studied.
"These will also be returned to the same location, accompanied by a memorial ceremony, details of which will be provided in due course," a spokesperson from Vistry said.