A CEREMONY to rebury bones discovered on the site of a 12th century leper hospital took place at the weekend.

Lottery-funded Archeox found the historic remains on the site of Bartelmas Church, just off Cowley Road, back in 2011.

Since the discovery they have had the collection of bones analysed and some of them date back to the 12th century.

Jane Harrison, who helps to run the East Oxford archaeology group, said a number show signs of leprosy while others are of healthy, strong men.

She said: “We know during the Civil War there was a military encampment nearby so it could be that some of the stronger bones are from soldiers during that time.”

The dig began in 2011 when the chapel was undergoing some remodelling work. The Diocese of Oxford and the chapel trustees allowed the group to excavate.

The chapel was known to have been on the site since the 14th century but the group discovered the presence of a leper hospital dating back to 1126. It would had to have had a religious chapel.

There were a number of graves dating back from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Ms Harrison said: “There were two burials of children which were different to the usual burial. Normally people are buried west to east, but these were north to south. They were very young children and it is a mystery as to why they were buried like that. It could have been a rushed burial, they could have been illegitimate or the parents very poor. We will never know.”

She added: “All the burials would have been religious so we made sure that they received a religious ceremony for re-interment. The Rev Adam Romanis worked really hard to make sure the ceremony was respectful and took in all the different historical aspects and was historically appropriate to reflect the ages of the remains.”

The religious ceremony at the chapel on Saturday included readings and music as the bones were reburied.