Back in 2008 we reported the news about the discovery of 113 bodies found when archaeologists were excavating the remains of a medieval church. It was believed that they were Parliamentarian soldiers who had perished during the siege of York in 1644, just weeks before the decisive Battle of Marston Moor.
More than four years later and the story of these men and how they died has finally been told in a fascinating documentary that was screened last night on the Yesterday channel.
It’s amazing the sheer level of detail they can glean about the men and their lives from nothing but their bones. Many were identified as being sailors from Hull, drafted into Lord Fairfax’s Northern Army, while two showed signs of an incredibly rare genetic deformity that left them severely disabled – but they were still part of an army that was developing its own meritocracy.
A rare insight into the lives of ordinary soldiers during the English Civil War and not to be missed – catch it before the ‘view again’ option expires!