Workmen discover human remains 'from the 1600s' after being called for blocked sewer job
dailystar.co.ukDevon Live reports. Bryn Morris from Southwest Archaeology said: “South West Water was repairing a sewer pipe outside Number 5, Church Walk. “When they’re called in to deal with a feature like that, they dig down to it and replace it with a straight piece of piping. “In one corner, there was undisturbed ground and they cut into a grave associated with the church. “Everyone was quite surprised to find that grave, but it’s not unexpected.” He explained that the churchyard was likely to have expanded into the surrounding fields before the present parish church of St Mary’s was consecrated in 1865.
Before the building now, the site was known to be home to the original Saxon church in 1232, and later, another church atop that was dedicated in 1259.
He continued: “Chances are, the churchyard used to be a lot bigger. Over the centuries, it has been nibbled away. “When they put in Church Walk to address those houses, they probably cut through the historic churchyard and laid the road down.
That’s why it’s not unexpected to find a burial there.” When SWW discovered bones, Devon County Historic Environment Team were contracted to oversee the archaeological discovery, as was Stephen Reed from the historic environment staff at Devon County Council.
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