Join County Archaeologist, Emma Hancox, to explore the story behind a human skeleton found buried within an embankment of the Worcester, Bromyard and Leominster railway line in 2021 in Leigh, near Worcester. Built in the 1860s, the line eventually closed in the 1960s. By 2021 all that remained was the earthwork of the former embankment that took a narrow lane up and over the railway. Hidden within the bank for over 150 years was a single human skeleton.
Usually, the discovery of ancient human remains is part of an organised archaeological dig. The presence of archaeology is known, or suspected, and archaeologists are sent in before a development occurs. Sometimes, however, the human remains are entirely unexpected and found accidentally. Find out what happens when skeletons are found in unexpected places and what we have learnt about this particular burial through archaeological excavation, scientific analyses and documentary research.