THE remains of two children hastily buried in shallow graves have been found among bones dating back to the 12th century during a community excavation in East Oxford.

The Archeox project spent six weeks working in the grounds of Bartlemas Chapel, off Cowley Road – the site of a former leper hospital – and confirmed local beliefs the site had been used as a burial ground.

The team of enthusiastic amateurs led by experts from Oxford University found a total of 13 burials.

There were eight adult and three child burials, dating from the 12th to 17th centuries and buried east-west according to Christian practices.

But mysteriously, two other children were found buried in shallow graves, one lying face down.

Project officer Jane Harrison said the children’s burials appeared hurried and not Christian.

The team were unable to estimate how many people were buried at the site.

But samples of the bones have been sent off for detailed analysis to find out the date, origin and possibly cause of death of those buried.

Ms Harrison added: “We don’t know for certain if traces of leprosy can be found, but we are fascinated in what the scientists findings will be.

“This site had a much more chequered history than we would expect, from being a leper hospital on the main route out of Oxford to periods where it was very neglected.

“It became a backwater where perhaps things we don’t want to know about went on.”

The burials included two medieval ‘charnel pits’ – a mix of bones thought to have been from disturbed medieval burials hastily reinterred during or after the Civil War in the 1640s.

Ms Harrison continued: “There were records of burials happening inside the chapel, and possibly outside, but nothing had ever been found so we didn’t know anything about the history of the landscape as a burial ground.

“But as well as finding, underneath the 14th century chapel, a really beautifully built stone building which was more than likely the first chapel on the site, we found several periods and different styles of burials.”

The Rev Adam Romanis, vicar of the parish of Cowley St John which includes Bartlemas Chapel, said he was looking forward to hearing about the details of what had been found at the site.

He said: “They hadn’t identified a burial ground in relation to the leper hospital before but you would have expected there to be one.

“It’s fascinating to understand better about the history of the local area, and I have been impressed how carefully and thoroughly it has been done and clearly it has been very rewarding in terms of the results.”

Among those taking part in the dig was Jenni Laird, 40, from Stadhampton, who has no previous archaeology experience.

She said: “I never imagined that we would work on something so historically significant. I thought we would be digging up Roman pottery and Victorian pipes.

“It was absolutely fascinating.”