Britain's 'oldest hospital found' by archaeologists

[Evil Eye]

Archaeologists say they have uncovered what may be Britain's earliest known hospital. Radio carbon testing at the site of a former leprosy hospital in Winchester, Hampshire, has revealed some burials took place between AD 960-1030.

Excavations revealed a range of buildings and convincing evidence for building foundations.

Until now, most historians believed hospitals in Britain only dated from after the Norman conquest of 1066.

A number of other artefacts and pits found at the site also relate to the same time, the archaeologists said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11594335

 

[Rapunzel]

That's interesting. There are plague pits, still marked on the maps, in the hills surrounding Winchester too. This is where they chucked all the bodies of the plague victims c.500 years ago.

 

[Evil Eye]

Why are they on the map? I can't imagine there'd be much to see...

 

[Rapunzel]

There's nothing to see. Just rolling green hills. I had to study maps as part of my degree and know they get updated, as new things are put on so older things get left off. I've had to study different maps of the same area to see how it changed over time. I can only imagine the reason the plague pits are still marked are because firstly, there are no new landmarks to replace them but also because secondly, and more importantly, I imagine they need to know where they are should they ever decide to dig the land there and maybe uncovering the land in which plague-ridden bodies were lain could possibly uncover some still viable plague spores, perhaps?



Highly doubtful, I know, but then, nothing is impossible. *shrugs* Who knows? I'm just assuming that might be the case.



ETA: The valley, I've just found, is actually called Plague Pits valley, which is probably why the name is on the map. Doh! Having said that, the plague pits are still marked on the local map.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catherine's_Hill,_Hampshire

 

[Evil Eye]

Well, I guess digging up a pile of corpses unexpectedly would be quite a shock.