Ancient bones dug up by a couple during renovations have finally been laid to rest in a churchyard after being estimated to be around 1,000 years old.
Ross and Claire Sledger, who own a pub, made the discovery while digging up their patio and quickly called the police.
Around ten police and forensic vehicles were dispatched to the scene and spent two days investigating.
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Among the remains of two bodies were a femur, two skulls, ribs and part of a pelvis, with fragments of a humerus and finger bones also uncovered.
Claire, 48, who runs The Sawyers bar in Wye, said their neighbour had also discovered a sword and other bones.
Ross, 49, said their home looked like a murder scene when the remains were uncovered in 2019.
The bones were later estimated to be about 1,000 years old, as reported by Need To Know.
Now they have finally been buried in the graveyard of St Gregory and St Martin Church, near Ashford, Kent on Wednesday, (19 August).
More than 25 people attended the service.
Ross said: “It was great.
“The village came together to honour the remains.
“People were talking about Wye and the history.
“And Jerusalem by William Blake was sung which was very fitting.”
Reverend Ravi Holy, rector of the church, said he was shocked to hear about the discovery of the bones, but not as shocked as the Sledgers.
He said: “Once we knew they were human remains, we decided to do something.
“We don’t know who they are but they are still human beings and we want to treat them with the respect they deserve now.”
Holy had never done such a service before, he added, and had contacted church authorities.
“The service will be short but we wanted to make a bit more of a thing of it so some of the local community will be coming along,” he said before the ceremony.
“We will sing a song and bury them in the churchyard.”
Maureen DeSaxe, archivist from the Wye Historical Society, said the area had been developed in the 1930s for housing and that a number of skeletons were found when they were digging.
“It wasn’t a particular surprise when the bones were discovered, due to the history, but some people had forgotten about the site,” she added.
“The vicar made the decision to bury them.”
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