Lichfield burial ground 'was medieval pilgrimage site'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-34246091

Version 0 of 1.

A burial ground where up to 40 skeletons were discovered was a well-known pilgrimage site in medieval times, an expert has said.

The skeletons were found in August when developers began working on the site of the former St Johns' Hospital in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

The remains have been moved to Warwick where staff at Archaeology Warwickshire are studying them.

A spokesman said pilgrims travelled to the area to see the remains of St Chad.

St Chad died in Lichfield in AD 672 and is interred at Lichfield Cathedral.

Stuart Palmer, of Archaeology Warwickshire, said St John's in medieval Lichfield provided overnight accommodation for pilgrims for several hundred years.

Many pilgrims came to be healed and some may well have died, which carries the possibility that the site was a burial ground, he said.

"Although medieval burial sites are not uncommon in the UK, those associated with known sites of pilgrimage are not so common and this work presents a rare opportunity to study such a particular assemblage," he said.

The remains are being cleaned, aged, and examined for signs of injury and disease.