16th century possible murder victim laid to rest at St Mary the Virgin, in South Baddesley afrer remains found on Sowley Beach in the New Forest
A SUSPECTED New Forest murder victim was this week buried in a “once-in-a-lifetime” service, some 500 years after he met his end.
The remains of the unknown man were laid to rest about five centuries after he was initially disposed of in a “clandestine” fashion, as revealed by the A&T
The 25-minute ceremony took place two years after his medieval-era skeleton was found in mysterious circumstances on a beach near South Baddesley.
As reported in the A&T, after a lengthy investigation, archeologists have since concluded that “foul play” may explain how he came to be there.
Tuesday’s special funeral took place at St Mary the Virgin, in South Baddesley. Around 50 attendees – comprising nearby residents, those who had been involved in research and local historians – came to pay their respects.
Mourners were greeted and handed a leaflet titled ‘The Funeral and Burial of the 16th Century Man Known only to God’.
The Very Rev Gordon Wynne conducted the service, which included a medieval hymn before the handmade wooden casket was buried in the church graveyard.
The funeral comes after police were alerted in May 2022 by local resident Graham Coulter who helped excavate the human remains after half a skull became exposed in the mud near the mouth of Lymington River.
Mr Coulter, who had been living in the area for four years, said a family friend’s son alerted him to his find, at which point he went out to further investigate.
“I was his closest neighbour and friend,” he said. “He was my nearest neighbour, unwittingly.
“It was just the dome of the skull visible.
“I called the police, and a young constable came along and quite a number of Land Rovers.
“They had to exhume him fairly quickly as it was mid-tide at the time. He was dug up out of the mud moderately quickly and spread out on the lawn.”
Speaking after the ceremony, the chartered surveyor, who lives in Lymington, said: “I think it’s a nice reflection on Christianity and mankind.
“It’s very moving. It’s nice people turned up to give him a proper send-off.”
The rare remains – of which 80% of the body was still present – were recovered from Sowley Beach. They were given a radiocarbon dating estimating them to have been buried in AD1450-1650.
An osteoarchaeologist who studied the 5ft 4in (1.63m) skeleton concluded it was likely to have been a 20 to 25-year-old adult male.
However, researchers said during this period, anyone deceased would ‘always’ be buried within their parish churchyard.
They then tried to work out how he came to be there and although they have no conclusive evidence, they admit he may have been the victim of murder.
Senior archaeologist at the New Forest National Park Authority, Gareth Owen said it was the first discovery of its kind in the area.
“We have a rich history going back to the dawn of time, it’s a very special place,” he said. “We have a lot of features remaining here because of the way the land has been used, or more importantly not used.
“It hasn’t been ploughed or developed and allows for all sorts of landscape features you would be challenged to find anywhere else in the country.
“Medieval history is where the history of the New Forest comes from, as it was a royal hunting ground with links to William the Conqueror.”
On the remains, he continued: “This is a bit of an odd one. It’s the first medieval skeletal remains here that I’m aware of.
“It’s very rare to find and recover remains here in acidic soil which normally dissolves and destroys bone.”
Speaking after the ceremony, he said: “I thought that was a lovely service. It’s always a challenge when you are burying someone – you don’t know their wishes.
“But it was a beautiful blend of what happened in that period, the hymn in particular was very touching.”
Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, the Rev Terence Handley MacMath, said: “It is a great honour and it’s lovely we can give someone a funeral who presumably didn’t have one.
“Time isn’t relevant, we deal in acts of eternity so giving him a funeral today is a good thing to do. We hope his spirit is at rest but we can honour his body and give him a good burial.
“There’s lots of speculation about the fact he was buried there and not in consecrated ground. Of course we don’t know, but God knows.”
The Very Rev Gordon Wynne, who conducted the service, said: “It is a privilege for the parish to be asked to do this and I’m very pleased to be able to lead the service.
“We know few facts about our man and the actual timing of his death is really not important to God.
“We will give him dignity and honour as we do with everyone when we bury him.
“We will try to remember the historical context in which he lived and this will be reflected in the service.”
Albert Marsh funeral directors in Wareham were employed by New Forest District Council to oversee the burial on its behalf.Branch manager Emma Byron said their florist had provided free flowers because they didn’t want him to “go without anything”.
On organising the funeral, she added: “It has been strange. We have been learning as we go along as it’s not something we have ever done.”
Kathryn Tudor has been holidaying in the area for over 20 years and happened to be on holiday from Bath again at the exact timing of the funeral.
“We walk up and down that stretch of beach for 20 years, ” she said. “We absolutely love it.
“This area is so historic - it’s very special for us. It was just fortuitous to read about it in the paper.
“We’ve never been to a medieval funeral so it’s very special.”
Robert Amis (66), chair of the Lymington History Society, said: “It’s just wonderful to finally give him a church burial.”
Churchwarden Pat Mennie said: “I was delighted with the service. I was pleased there was not only people from the historical sides of things but local residents because they feel a sense of wanting to do the funeral with him. I think we gave him a good funeral.”
The church is now collecting donations to make a plaque to be displayed at the site of the burial plot.
Lymington’s St Barbe Museum is curating a three-week free exhibition on the remains from 24th June.
