Archaeologists Probe Mysterious Vault Found Beneath Historic Canterbury

The discovery of a mysterious vault beneath a popular British tourist town has launched an archaeological investigation regarding its origins, per BBC News.

Mysterious Vaulted Located in Beneath Ancient Church

Canterbury is an ancient city which was founded in 597 A.D. and is home to the famed Canterbury Cathedral, which is one of the oldest Christian sites in the country. The vault was unearthed beneath a former church in St. Mary Bredman Square as construction crews were carrying out routine street improvements. The church itself was demolished in 1900 after the city deemed it was no longer safe for occupancy. Archaeologists with the Canterbury Archaeological Trust were swiftly brought in to appraise the discovery, determining that it measured roughly eight by three feet.

Jess Twyman, who works with the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, said that the vault could belong to Reverend John Duncombe. Duncombe lived in Canterbury during the 18th-century, and was a poet and vicar. “We cannot say for sure that it is his vault, but it’s possible” due to an inscription on the vault bearing Duncombe’s name, Twyman hypothesized. Duncombe authored A Historical Description of Canterbury Cathedral (1772) and several other well-regarded historical documents of the time. 

More Than a Dozen Vaults Unearthed Beneath the Square

Duncombe’s prospective tomb was one of 14 vaults found beneath the square. A separate grave stone found at the sign depicts a traditional memento mori of the era in the form of a carved skull and a laurel wreath. “The most important thing is understanding how people lived in the past,” Twyman said. The church was once home to 25 parish houses, many of which were established in the late Saxon period.

Though the discovery is remarkable, ancient and long-lost churches have long “tended to spring up” in Canterbury, according to Twyman. In the Roman era, the city was heavily occupied and known as Durovernum Cantiacorum. An investigation into the vault’s origins is ongoing alongside the restoration efforts on the square itself. The city council plans to repave the area as well as add benches and plants; in addition to repositioning the graves and an ancient horse trough so that they’re easier for tourists to see. The city has also commissioned a mural which will depict the church in its heyday.