Excavations ahead of an extension to Spitalfields Market in Brushfield Street, East London, have uncovered over 400 human skulls along with numerous long bones, officials confirmed. The discovery is ongoing, with additional skeletal remains being unearthed daily.

The site lies roughly 60 yards from the historic location of the open-air pulpit where the annual Spital Sermon was traditionally delivered before the Lord Mayor, Aldermen of London, and Governors of the Royal Hospitals. This pulpit was part of the post-Reformation structures of the ancient Priory and Hospital of St Mary Spital, leading experts to suggest that the newly disturbed ground likely fell within the monastic precincts.

Dr. D.L. Thomas, the medical officer of health for Stepney, who has overseen the excavation, indicated that the bones appear to have been relocated from an earlier burial site about two centuries ago. According to Dr. Thomas, the remains were deliberately discarded in small pits scattered across the site, each containing around 50 to 60 bones, with the bones jumbled together without ceremony. He emphasized that the evidence seems inconsistent with an ancient plague pit, which typically contains a large single deposit of remains.

No metal artifacts or fittings, which might signify coffin use, have been found among the bones, reinforcing the theory that this was a secondary burial or reburial site. A fragment of a Roman cinerary urn was also recovered, though experts believe its presence to be coincidental rather than indicating a Roman burial context.

So far, twelve boxes filled with bones have been sealed and prepared for reburial at the City of London Cemetery in Ilford, pending the appropriate licencing procedures. The Home Office has been notified and standard protocols are being followed: a licence from the Home Secretary will be issued before the remains are transferred and reinterred.

The site’s history is well documented. During redevelopment efforts in the late 1990s, remains of nearly 11,000 people were uncovered at Spitalfields, reflecting its long-standing role as a burial ground associated with the medieval hospital and priory established on the location.

The current findings highlight the continued historical significance of the area and provide further insight into the mortuary practices carried out over several centuries in this part of London. Authorities continue to monitor and document the excavation process as work proceeds.