The earliest human remains ever found in the north of Britain were unearthed in a cave in Great Urswick, Cumbria. Local archaeologist Martin Stables recovered human bones and a periwinkle pearl during excavations at Heaning Wood Bone Cave. A team of researchers led by the University of Central Lancashire analyzed the finds and dated them to about 11,000 years ago.
Archaeologist Dr Rick Peterson from the University of Central Lancashire said: “This is a fantastic discovery!
“We are pleased to confirm that Martin’s incredible find dates back some 11,000 years and gives us clear evidence of Mesolithic burials in the north.
“This is particularly exciting because these are some of the earliest dates for human activity in Britain after the end of the last ice age.”
As well as perforated periwinkle shells and human bones, Mr Stables – who has been excavating Heaning Wood Bone Cave since 2016 – has also recovered animal bones, stone tools and prehistoric pottery.
The researchers were able to prove that at least eight different people were buried in the Heaning Wood Bone Cave.
Despite the fact that the remains were found in a fragmented state, the fact that they were accompanied by artifacts indicates that the burials were intentional, the team said.
Radiocarbon dating of seven of the burials was performed by team members from both the University of Nevada, Reno, and Pennsylvania State University.
They found that the cave was used for burials at three different time periods — about 4,000 years ago during the Early Bronze Age, about 5,500 years ago in the Early Neolithic, and about 11,000 years ago during the first part of the Mesoltic period.
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Dr. Peterson said: “Cave burials such as this are known from some periods of British prehistory and the Heaning Wood burials are an important addition to our knowledge of burial practices.
“Together with the slightly later dates from Kent’s Bank Cavern, it shows – when people reoccupied the land – how important all of Britain was to this process.”
With the first study completed, the researchers are now working to determine what happened to each individual after they were buried in the cave.
In addition, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute’s Ancient Genomics Laboratory are working to determine whether the burials still contain ancient DNA that could be used to determine where each individual came from and how they were related.