Skeleton found in Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey may have belonged to medieval monk

ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAMNOVEMBER 1, 2026 16:06

The human remains found in a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey may have belonged to a medieval monk, Taylor & Francis Group announced earlier this month, citing a new study.

Published in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, the study is lead by Professor Warwick Rodwell, a consultant archaeologist at Westminster Abbey.

The limestone sarcophagus was excavated at the Abbey in 1869, bearing an inscription to Valerius Amandinus, a wealthy individual who lived around 300 to 400 CE.

However, the sarcophagus’ decoration made researchers draw pause. Sculpted onto its lid was a Latin cross, dating to approximately the 10th or 11th century.

Such a find suggested that the remains found within might belong to an individual who died several centuries after the inscription was carved.

Skelton likely belongs to high-ranking monk

Rodwell argues that the remains belong to a high-ranking medieval monk, such as Aelfwig, who served as an Abbot at Westminster Abbey died around 1020, or his successor, Wulnoth, who died in 1049.

“We have two viable contenders for the occupant of the sarcophagus,” said Rodwell. “We do not know the date of birth of either. But either would fit equally well if we assume the Abbot was in his early twenties when the appointment was made and close to fifty when he died.”

“The fact Aelfwig was already a monk of Westminster might favour him.”

Rodwell noted in his article that in 2016, when the sarcophagus was sent to Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA), researchers discovered an outline of rectangular structure in the sarcophagus, marked out in white residue left behind by lime, a substance traditionally used in burials.

“Although no physical traces of that feature remained, it can only have been a timber coffin, which has completely decayed over the course of the seven centuries that the sarcophagus was buried in the sacristy courtyard,” wrote Rodwell.

The wooden coffin placed within the sarcophagus lends credence to his theory as the deceased was honored with a “finer” burial after his death, according to Rodwell. The lid was then re-carved with the Latin cross.

Carbon dating shows skeleton from 10th, 11th century

The deceased individual was likely between 35 and 49 at his time of death, and stood at around 5ft 9inches in height, according to a 2016 analysis done by PCA human bone specialist James Young Langthorne.

In its own statement, PCA added that the skeleton showed evidence of joint disease, healed rib fractures and an infection in the lower right leg. It further noted that the skull had been repaired, with the lower jaw wired to it in three places.

Caron dating of a bone sample sent to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre indicate that the skeleton is from sometime between 987 and 1052 CE .

“This confirms that the reuse of the sarcophagus, and the associated remodelling of its cover, occurred in the late Saxon period,” said Rodwell.

The sarcophagus is currently on public display in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey.

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