0:00:31 > 0:00:36Last summer, the peace of this quiet English garden was shattered
0:00:36 > 0:00:39by the discovery of a huge grave.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44Who lies in it, and why were they buried here?
0:00:53 > 0:01:00It's an archaeological mystery which has brought me to the Cotswolds, to Malmesbury.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05In the medieval period, it had some important inhabitants -
0:01:05 > 0:01:10a local gardener may well have dug one of them up!
0:01:10 > 0:01:18It's all happened in the shadow of Malmesbury's imposing abbey, in the grounds of Abbey House.
0:01:18 > 0:01:24Martin Roberts, the gardener, was planting when his spade struck something hard.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29How did you find a coffin in the garden?!
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I were digging a rose bed - and looking out for a pipe...
0:01:33 > 0:01:38'The garden is in the grounds of the original abbey,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41'which Henry VIII disbanded in 1539.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48'At the end, a magnificent medieval stone coffin - at least 6-700 years old.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- Beautiful, isn't it?- Mm!
0:01:51 > 0:01:57'A second, simpler burial suggests the coffin may be part of a cemetery.'
0:01:57 > 0:02:03- What was your first reaction when you found it?- Shock, amazement.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I wasn't sure what I'd found -
0:02:06 > 0:02:08 I cleared that area, there.
0:02:08 > 0:02:14I was clearing it away with my hands, then I saw a row of teeth.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17And you realised it was occupied!
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It's so fine, so beautifully made.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24It suggests it's somebody quite important.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30'Whoever lies in the coffin had qualified for a grand send-off.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34'I was struck by the size - over seven foot long.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'Inside, it's 6ft4 from head to toe.
0:02:37 > 0:02:43'By medieval standards, this person must have been a giant!
0:02:45 > 0:02:51'Excavation will give us more clues about this extraordinary person.'
0:02:54 > 0:03:00Abbey House and the gardens belong to postmodernist architect Ian Pollard
0:03:00 > 0:03:05and his wife Barbara, a former model.
0:03:05 > 0:03:12They're not the most orthodox pair, but a giant amongst the roses was, even for them, a bit surreal.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17After the initial shock, the coffin seemed unusually large.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22All I could think of was, "Gosh, the person must have been enormous."
0:03:22 > 0:03:26I was astounded they were so large.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30It's always been the abbot's garden,
0:03:30 > 0:03:37so the fact there is an enormous stone coffin in it seems most peculiar -
0:03:37 > 0:03:41who on earth could it be?!
0:03:41 > 0:03:46One thing's likely - the person was probably connected with the abbey.
0:03:46 > 0:03:53I began to look for clues in the abbey church - all that remains of the original buildings.
0:03:53 > 0:03:581,300 years ago, the abbey was founded by Benedictine monks.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Its history's packed with people who would warrant such a burial.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07There's the first abbot, St Aldhelm,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09legendary worker of miracles.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12He looks like quite a tall man!
0:04:14 > 0:04:20It could be my hero, Brother Elmer, the monk who thought he could fly -
0:04:20 > 0:04:25and famously jumped from the abbey's 430ft spire to prove it!
0:04:25 > 0:04:28REPORTER: Stuntman Colin Skeeping
0:04:28 > 0:04:33leapt off the abbey to recall the day in the year 1000
0:04:33 > 0:04:38when Brother Elmer, a Benedictine monk, decided to take to the air.
0:04:38 > 0:04:45Despite no safety wire, Elmer flew 200yds and survived - but broke both legs.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56Perhaps the most tantalising possibility of all is Athelstan,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59the first Saxon King of all England.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03His tomb lies in the abbey, but it's empty.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08It is rumoured his bones were removed, to avoid relic hunters,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13and buried in the abbot's garden - which now belongs to the Pollards.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Could the coffin Martin discovered really contain King Athelstan?
0:05:18 > 0:05:26The problem is, Athelstan died in 939, and the coffin in the garden looks 300 years later -
0:05:26 > 0:05:29so I'm not convinced it's him.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Many people would disagree.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The feverish speculation of the press
0:05:35 > 0:05:40puts Athelstan or a giant monk as hot favourites.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The Pollards share their find with locals.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54By now, everyone's an expert - even before the bones are uncovered!
0:05:54 > 0:05:57"Seven foot long." Very tall!
0:05:57 > 0:06:04When Henry closed the monasteries down - about 1530 - what happened then...?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07"Was it King Athelstan, St Aldhelm...?"
0:06:07 > 0:06:14- From a romantic point of view, we hope it's Athelstan.- You never know.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Gosh, Hale-Bopp comet, and then this...?!
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I imagine it's a monk from the abbey.
0:06:21 > 0:06:28- It's a Saxon bishop... Was it the bishop of the abbey? - Something to do with King Athelstan.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34King Athelstan might have been buried around about there -
0:06:34 > 0:06:37what evidence there is, I don't know.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42It must have been very unusual to have somebody so tall in that age.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44We need archaeologists.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53Archaeologist John Humble's first job is to remove the exposed skull.
0:06:53 > 0:06:59The whole garden is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument -
0:06:59 > 0:07:04it's been disturbed, so English Heritage must now decide what to do.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09After Martin the gardener found the coffin,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14the decision was made to excavate the burial that lies within it.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19So John, an English Heritage archaeologist, is working on it.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24The first stage is to create an accurate plan.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I'm taking out the upper levels of soil -
0:07:28 > 0:07:32there's six inches to go before we see any bones.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I'm eager to see the skeleton.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42I hope we'll find the evidence we need to identify him - or her.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52After a couple of days, our first clue -
0:07:52 > 0:07:58the bones are emerging as a complete skeleton.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02They don't look like Athelstan's reburied bones,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06so we'll definitely have to rule him out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Sadly, we eliminate another character -
0:08:13 > 0:08:19the skeleton doesn't quite fill the coffin.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I never expected Athelstan, but I WAS hoping for a giant.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29But this skeleton doesn't fill the coffin, so that idea's out, too.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34We're going to have to look harder to find out who this was.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39I'm quite sure the skeleton still has a lot more to tell us -
0:08:39 > 0:08:41but not here.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44It has to be carefully taken apart,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47then bagged and sent to the lab.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53I can tell you there are no signs the legs have ever been broken -
0:08:53 > 0:08:58at least not until John started to lift them!
0:08:58 > 0:09:03So another potential candidate has to go - Elmer the flying monk!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Is that another piece?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14But I'm still convinced this is someone important -
0:09:14 > 0:09:19perhaps a senior monk, or even an abbot.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31Before the bones can be examined, we need to clean them up.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Whoever this is had some serious dental problems!
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Look at the state of this side!
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Oh, that really IS in a bad way!
0:09:44 > 0:09:47That root's all rotted away -
0:09:47 > 0:09:50right deep down in the jaw.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Very painful!
0:09:52 > 0:09:58- With such rotten teeth, they must have had appalling breath!- Yes.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01The last time I saw this...
0:10:01 > 0:10:04'For a more definitive opinion,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08'I've come to top bone expert, Dr Simon Maze.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The first question is, is it a male?
0:10:12 > 0:10:19- We assumed it was a monk, and was therefore male. Were we right?- Yes.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24We can be fairly sure it's a male from the pelvis -
0:10:24 > 0:10:26from this notch here.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31- It's fairly narrow - that indicates it's a male.- That's a relief.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37We had everybody saying this person was enormously tall - a 6ft4 giant!
0:10:37 > 0:10:40How tall did he turn out to be?
0:10:40 > 0:10:46We estimate height in skeletons by measuring the leg bones.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50This individual turned out to be
0:10:50 > 0:10:51about 5ft-10.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54No giant, then?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Not by medieval standards -
0:10:56 > 0:11:01he's a few inches above medieval average for men.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04So still pretty tall. And his age?
0:11:04 > 0:11:10The best way of estimating age is by looking at the wear on the teeth.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- They look pretty worn!- Yes, and the crowns of these two have worn away.
0:11:15 > 0:11:22That suggests that he was about perhaps in his fifties when he died.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- Quite a good age!- Yeah.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31So we've got a picture of a man - about 5ft10 tall, late middle age...
0:11:31 > 0:11:38- Can you get any idea of his health from the bones? - Yes. If we look at the teeth,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42there are dental problems here.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48The pulp cavity had actually been exposed because of the extreme wear,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54and infection has passed into the pulp cavity, down the root canal,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and has set up an abscess in the jaw.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01So, dreadful toothache. Any other problems?
0:12:01 > 0:12:06In the bones that make up the instep of the foot,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10we can see there is new bone formation on there.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12This growth...?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16If we compare it to a normal bone,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19normally, they have a smooth surface.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21This has new bone formation.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26- Why?- There are a number of possibilities.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Initially, I thought it may be leprosy -
0:12:30 > 0:12:35as well as destroying the bones of the feet and hands,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38it can also cause new bone formation.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42But signs of leprosy were absent in the skull,
0:12:42 > 0:12:50so we're left with a localised infection that's affecting the left foot - it's hard to say what.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55- So the poor chap probably had toothache and a limp, then?!- Yes.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00- We're getting more of a picture of the person, aren't we?- Yes.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07'But are there any signs he lived a privileged life?
0:13:07 > 0:13:13'Simon has studied hundreds of skeletons of medieval people who didn't.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19'Many suffered from acute sinusitis, the killer disease TB was rife,
0:13:19 > 0:13:24'and osteoporosis was just as common then as it is now.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30'Many children died shortly after birth -
0:13:30 > 0:13:37'those who survived into infancy, ravaged by hunger and disease, often suffered stunted growth.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:41These are some x-rays of femurs from child skeletons.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48A great number of them show these white Harris lines going the width of the bone.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51They're not just cracks?
0:13:51 > 0:13:59Oh, no, they're lines which form in the bone when growth stops for a while, then starts again.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05In contrast, our medieval monk is taller than average, he has no signs of TB,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08no signs of sinusitis.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13The picture I get is of somebody who's privileged, well fed -
0:14:13 > 0:14:16perhaps even a bit over-fed!
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Is this going too far?
0:14:18 > 0:14:25I think it is - from just one individual, we can't come to those conclusions.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I X-rayed his leg bones - he, too, had Harris lines.
0:14:29 > 0:14:37Harris lines on his bones show his growth stopped five times between the ages of four and nine,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42perhaps due to illness, or starvation during the winters.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47If he was a monk, he may not have been from a privileged background,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50like many of his brothers.
0:14:50 > 0:14:57Maybe his parents sent him to the abbey at a young age - one less mouth to feed.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06The next step is to find out when he died.
0:15:06 > 0:15:14At Oxford's radiocarbon dating laboratory, a tiny sample taken from a bone could tell us.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17THE MACHINE WHIRRS
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Living things contain radioactive carbon,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29but at death, radioactivity steadily starts to fall.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Measuring this decrease tells you how long ago something died.
0:15:34 > 0:15:40The dating process only works if enough pure carbon is extracted from the bone collagen.
0:15:40 > 0:15:46To do this, the ground-up sample will be left to dissolve in acid -
0:15:46 > 0:15:50but it will be several weeks until we get the results.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Before any decision is made about what should be done with the coffin,
0:15:56 > 0:16:02we've invited two very different experts to tell us more about it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- Where's the stone from? - It's a fine oolite.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11It's from this region - probably not Malmesbury itself.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16It was carefully selected to be one of the better stones, I would think.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Tony, you're the stonemason.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22How do you chop it out from a block?
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Firstly, it would be drawn out with a thing called a drag.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32A mason would mark the whole caboodle out using that.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Then, using an axe similar to this,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40he would very carefully chip away from that drag line.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- So none of it's sawn, then?- Nope.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46But this is terribly flat.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51What about these marks over here? Are they the same instrument?
0:16:51 > 0:16:58There were various types of axe. I found this one near a medieval wall.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I actually dug it up.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05It would appear that it's a similar tool,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09and probably contemporary to this coffin.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12There's a vague possibility
0:17:12 > 0:17:16that this was the tool that did this job.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Was that used to do the head recess?
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Yeah - it's not actually difficult to form those...
0:17:24 > 0:17:30What's also interesting is that whoever did this was right-handed
0:17:30 > 0:17:36because, as a right-handed person, it's easy for me to chop this way.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41But, working left-handed, I have to work this way.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46See how the axe goes into these...erm...recessions here?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So that side is completely different.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53What about the craftsmanship, David?
0:17:53 > 0:17:59A lot of work went into it - it was destined for somebody important.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04The medieval man's bones are now spread all round the country.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09While his right fibula is being carbon dated in Oxford,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13his skull is at University College,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17where Dr Robin Richards will use it to rebuild the face.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24The skull is scanned with a laser
0:18:24 > 0:18:27to produce a three-dimensional image.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33The missing bits of bone have been built up with wax to aid the laser.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Now the contours of the skull have been captured,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44we've got the foundation of his face.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Robin's programme works out where the muscles and soft tissues go.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56We look at it from different viewpoints - that's fine.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Now I just find a suitable prototype face.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We know he died aged about 50,
0:19:03 > 0:19:11so we need a selection of 50-year-old male faces, which we blend to make an average face -
0:19:11 > 0:19:13free from any unusual features.
0:19:19 > 0:19:27Now Robin can stretch the face of Mr Average over the computerised skull.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29What emerges
0:19:29 > 0:19:32is our first glimpse of the medieval man buried in the coffin.
0:19:39 > 0:19:46Illustrator Jane Brayne will use this image as the basis for a portrait.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51This chap, I think, has got an incredibly strong face.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56First thing to point out is, the nose is actually genuinely broken -
0:19:56 > 0:20:01that's not something that the computer's done.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05It looks as though his cheeks might be quite hollow.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11- Yes, goodness, look at this - it's really quite pitted almost.- Yeah.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14So that, again, is real.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Erm...not a very prominent chin.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22You don't get an idea of the nose being crooked from the profile.
0:20:22 > 0:20:29'But we need to know for certain whether or not he was a monk - I need to turn the clock back.'
0:20:33 > 0:20:37What's left of the abbey is just a fraction
0:20:37 > 0:20:43of what was here before Henry VIII sacked the monasteries 500 years ago.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48This is how the abbey looks today - our burial seems a long way away.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52At its height, the abbey was twice as big.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57Add back the missing bits and the burial's position becomes clear -
0:20:57 > 0:21:02it lies right next to the abbey's Lady Chapel.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07This is what the abbey would have looked like.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11This is a further clue to the man's identity.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Buried so close, he must have been a powerful member of the abbey -
0:21:16 > 0:21:22but not an abbot, as then, he would have been buried inside.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28In Oxford, carbon atoms from his bones
0:21:28 > 0:21:35have been shooting around the accelerator, to give Dr Ramsay a date for us.
0:21:35 > 0:21:42The date has come out at between 1150 and 1300. Does that make sense?
0:21:42 > 0:21:47It fits with what we're expecting, but can't you narrow it down more?
0:21:47 > 0:21:55I'm afraid we can't in this case, as it's been quite a complicated case for us - interestingly so.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01We've done other tests, as well as the radiocarbon measurement,
0:22:01 > 0:22:09and it looks as though the diet of this man had quite a big marine component - he ate fish.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13That's strange - Malmesbury's quite a distance from the sea.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It IS surprising - and quite unusual.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21They were definitely smoking fish in that period -
0:22:21 > 0:22:24there's a fish house at Glastonbury.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28So it's possible they transported fish...
0:22:28 > 0:22:32- It has to be sea fish? - Yes, from this evidence.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37It was well worth the trip to Oxford.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42Shame the date wasn't more precise, but I'm amazed they knew his diet -
0:22:42 > 0:22:46that really points to him being a monk.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49CHATTER
0:22:49 > 0:22:55Now the investigation is over, English Heritage want the coffin to be reburied -
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but Ian and Barbara have other ideas.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04If there was a way of not disturbing the archaeological information,
0:23:04 > 0:23:10and sort of...lifting... There may be masses of information under there.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13It would be nice to take it out.
0:23:13 > 0:23:19I wouldn't like the coffin to be lifted and exposed
0:23:19 > 0:23:26because to do that, we'd have to do yet more archaeological investigation - in a keyhole way.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30We have uncovered it - for whatever reason.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36I think the value that it has to all of us is quite considerable -
0:23:36 > 0:23:39far more than if it is reburied.
0:23:39 > 0:23:46The Pollards would like to put the coffin on permanent display, but Amanda isn't convinced.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51The coffin would suffer if it was exposed to the elements.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57If we can find a way to protect it, and if you'll go along with that...
0:23:57 > 0:24:02- And if we fail, then we'll... - Failure, what's that?!
0:24:02 > 0:24:07..then we'll protect it the only other way that we can -
0:24:07 > 0:24:09backfill it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14Yes, but let's work on it on a positive basis.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19I think we can, at a pinch, accept that, but I don't think it will work.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25Jane has now added in the details of our monk's clothing and haircut,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30to make him a black-habited Benedictine.
0:24:31 > 0:24:37'We've come to the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.
0:24:37 > 0:24:44'Surgeon Gus Alusi has a way of visualising the skull and the face in three dimensions.'
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Have you managed
0:24:46 > 0:24:51- to put Jane's painting and Robin's reconstruction together?- Yes.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56We put the painting around the reconstruction.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00He looks great! There's his broken nose.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05And it helps once you get the flesh tones back onto it -
0:25:05 > 0:25:10- for the first time, it starts to look like a person.- Absolutely.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17We used all the evidence we could find to create this picture.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Although he ended up as a respected member of a religious community,
0:25:22 > 0:25:27his bones tell us starvation and disease featured in his childhood.
0:25:27 > 0:25:34We can sympathise, too, with his suffering - toothache was as bad then as it is today!
0:25:34 > 0:25:37But we can't be sure how he died.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42We can, though, be fairly certain he died in the abbey,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46spending his last days in its infirmary.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Before his burial in the coffin, in a ceremony unchanged for centuries,
0:26:02 > 0:26:09his fellow monks would have placed his body in a temporary coffin - for an all-night vigil.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12THEY SING A RELIGIOUS CHANT
0:26:23 > 0:26:29At dawn, he would have been carried to a plot next to the Lady Chapel
0:26:29 > 0:26:36and buried wearing only the coarse hair shirt he wore underneath his black habit.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42THE LAWNMOWER'S ENGINE SHUDDERS
0:26:46 > 0:26:54Ian and Barbara haven't managed to come up with a solution to displaying the coffin,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57so it has to be filled in.
0:26:57 > 0:27:03Amanda's agreed to it being opened up for display in warm weather.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06..the logical way.
0:27:06 > 0:27:12The bones are still in a box in the Ancient Monuments Laboratory,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15pending removal to a local museum.
0:27:17 > 0:27:24This is very different from the ceremony carried out here 700 years ago.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29You might think the monk's bones should be put back in the grave,
0:27:29 > 0:27:37or that they're better off in a museum, where perhaps in a few years science will tell us more.
0:27:37 > 0:27:44I feel I've got to know the person over the months - this is where I say goodbye.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Subtitles by Stephanie Donohue, BBC - 1997