Westminster Abbey skeleton may belong to medieval abbot Ælfwig, archaeologist suggests

An archaeologist may have made a breakthrough in a long-standing mystery surrounding a skeleton found inside an ancient Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey in London. Discovered during an investigation in 2018, the remains have raised questions about how a medieval burial came to be placed in a Roman-era coffin.

The limestone sarcophagus was first discovered in 1820 and excavated in 1869 from an area along the north side of Westminster Abbey's nave. Although it dates to the late Roman period, it bears a Latin inscription naming Valerius Amandinus.

Researchers found no Roman artefacts in the surrounding area, suggesting the sarcophagus had been moved from its original burial site.

According to The Guardian, Professor Warwick Rodwell, a consultant archaeologist at Westminster Abbey, revisited the mystery while researching the coffin for a planned display in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

When the lid was removed during the 2018 investigation, researchers discovered a skeleton inside, despite historical records suggesting the remains had been lost. Analysis indicated that the man was approximately 5ft 9in tall and aged between 35 and 49 when he died.

Radiocarbon dating placed the remains between AD 987 and 1052, according to Rodwell's research published in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association. This suggests the man was buried several centuries after the sarcophagus was made.

Researchers also found a rectangular outline formed by white residue inside the coffin. Rodwell suggested that the body had been covered with powdered lime and placed in a wooden coffin before being enclosed within the stone sarcophagus. The wooden coffin had since decayed, but its outline remained visible.

A large cross carved into the lid provided another clue. The official Westminster Abbey report notes that the cross is consistent with the late Anglo-Saxon period, suggesting the coffin was adapted for a later burial.

Rodwell believes the skeleton may belong to a medieval abbot, given the status associated with burial in such an elaborate stone coffin. He identified two possible candidates: Ælfwig, who died around 1020, and his successor Wulfnoth, who died in 1049.

According to the Westminster Abbey report, Rodwell considers Ælfwig the stronger candidate because he was already a monk at Westminster when the previous abbot died and went on to serve as abbot for about 27 years.

However, the identification remains unconfirmed. The findings offer a possible explanation for how a Roman sarcophagus came to hold the remains of a medieval religious figure.