The monastic cemetery, 1080-1540
/The monks of Saint Andrew’s Priory were buried to the east of the Cathedral, beneath the site of the Old Deanery and Cathedral car park. Excavations during works over the past 30 years have revealed many skeletal remains from the area.
Part of a series of excavations in advance of the redevelopment of Rochester Cathedral crypt (Keevill and Ward 2019). One almost complete articulated burial excavated in February 2015, minus feet and skull, in the north-east aisle amongst many disarticulated deposits throughout the crypt. Probably dating from after the Benedictine monastery was founded in 1080, taking place within the monastic burial ground to the east of the previous form of the cathedral before its expansion after a fire in 1179. The skull was probably moved during the digging of the foundation trench for the adjacent pier. The right arm was unexcavated and the left arm was removed before this series of photographs.
The remaining skeleton was removed in advance of the installation of underfloor air conditioning and reinterred in the burial ground to the north of the nave.
Jacob Scott
Heritage Officer
This post is part of a series on the Medieval Priory of Saint Andrew at Rochester Cathedral.
Priory and Precinct
The Benedictine Priory of Saint Andrew at Rochester Cathedral was founded in 1080 by Bishop Gundulf and dissolved in 1540 by order of King Henry VIII. The ruins of the priory survive on the south side of the Cathedral, centred on the Cloister Garth.
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