The medieval friar who was the victim of a hit-and-run: Skeleton dating back to before 14th century is unearthed showing clergyman with two broken legs - as experts say it could have been caused in accident with cart
The skeleton of a friar with two broken legs resembling a medieval 'hit and run', probably from a cart accident that killed him, has been unearthed by Cambridge archaeologists.The team from the University of Cambridge were examining skeletal trauma from 314 skeletons buried at three locations in the city between the 10th and 14th century.
The friar, identified by his burial place and belt buckle, suffered two broken thigh bones as a result of what researchers believe was a cart accident where he was struck by the wagon.
Skeletons were recovered from across the social spectrum including a parish graveyard for ordinary working people, a charitable hospital that buried the sick and destitute, and an Augustinian friary that buried wealthy donors alongside clergy.
The skeleton of a friar with two broken legs resembling a medieval 'hit and run', probably from a cart accident that killed him, has been unearthed by Cambridge archaeologists
Their findings reveal the extent of hardship suffered by all classes at this time with one female victim almost certainly bearing the marks of domestic violence.
The team catalogued the nature of every break and fracture to build a picture of the physical distress people suffered by accident, occupational injury or violence during their daily lives.
Of the 314 skeletons buried, eighty-four came from the parish cemetery of All Saints by the Castle, 75 from the Augustinian Friary and 155 the cemetery of the Hospital of St John the Evangelist.
Results from x-ray analysis revealed 44 per cent of working people buried in the parish cemetery of All Saints by the Castle from the 10th to 14th centuries suffered some form of broken bone by the time they died.
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Skeleton of medieval friar who was victim of a hit-and-run unearthed
The skeleton of a friar who suffered two broken thigh bones as a result of what University of Cambridge archaeologists believe was a cart accident where he was struck by a wagon has been unearthed.