by Analysis of the remains of two human skeletons discovered last year in Cornwall has revealed some interesting insights into who the people may have been, why they were found in these places and how they lived.
The remains were found last winter near Trevone, Padstow and the others during a beach clean-up at Sennen in Penwith.
When the human remains were discovered and authorities determined they were historic, Dr Richard Mikulski, a bone specialist from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) carefully excavated the sites and analyzed the skeletons.
Ann Reynolds, a senior officer for the Historic Rural Environment at Cornwall Council who was involved in the excavations last winter, said: “Analysis by the Cornwall Archeology Unit has given us great insight into why the remains were found in both locations.
Human remains were found at Sennen and Padstow last winter (Image: Cornwall Council)
“Although only the skull of the Sennen body remained, radiocarbon dating has firmly placed this individual in the Middle Bronze Age, living around 3300 years ago.
“Given this age, it is more likely that this was a grave site that has been washed away by successive storms, and the remains were gradually cleaned until only the head remained and was seen at low tide.
“We can’t tell much more because of the limited survival of the bones, but he could be male and about middle age. Although there was significant thickening of the cranium which is more often observed in older women.
“We can piece together a lot more about the remains at Trevone, which provide a revealing insight into this person and their lifestyle. They are more likely to be men aged between 25 and 40 at the time of death.”
The skeletons were analyzed by Dr Richard Mikulski, a bone specialist from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU). (Image: Cornwall Council)
Ann added: “Radiocarbon dating has shown that the remains are from the 18th century, possibly as early as 1580 but no later than 1800, although the results gave a higher level of probability around 1700.
“The bones indicate that the person had done a lot of very heavy manual labor, such as pulling and pulling, which suggests that they had highly developed upper body musculature. These changes in activity in the back of the head, shoulders and upper arms are consistent with an active lifestyle involving constant use of the arms/shoulders and are consistent with the theory that this was a shipwrecked sailor.
“Activity-related wear on the teeth may also be consistent with a sailing lifestyle as there is a suggestion of repeatedly holding a cord/rope in the mouth from wear patterns on the teeth.”
Ann also explained that there was a likely healing soft tissue injury to the bones of their left shoulder, and a possible healing injury to the nasal region, which suggested a broken nose.
She also said there was evidence of active or healing infection that indicated sinusitis at the time of death.
“The burial itself was very close, which suggests that they may have been buried in a tight enclosure,” explained Ann.
“The body was lost below the knees, probably because of the foundations for the installation of a bench.
“Overall, the evidence is as good as we’ll go to suggest that this was an 18th century shipwrecked sailor,”
The bones were found on Sennen beach in Penwith (Image: Cornwall Council)
Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: “This is a wonderful insight into the life and times of a sailor who is synonymous with Cornwall and our maritime history.
“It will be interesting to see what else the wonders of modern science and forensics can discover about this man, and about Bronze Age man before they are finally buried again.”
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Emily Stevenson, co-founder of Beach Guardian, who came across the remains of a human skull on a dune cliff at Sennen Cove, said: “All of us at Beach Guardian are so grateful to everyone involved in this investigation, which has allowed us to gain insight far into the past after an unexpected discovery on the beach.
“We always encourage people to get involved in conservation efforts to preserve and protect the future, and this really showed us the importance of cleaning beaches and preserving the coastal environment, so that we can also look at the past.”
PLEASE NOTE: When any human remains are found, they should not be touched or moved and should be reported to the police immediately.
