A limestone Roman sarcophagus unearthed at Westminster Abbey more than a century and a half ago was recycled during the Middle Ages to bury a prominent monastic leader, according to a newly published archaeological study.
The findings, detailed Wednesday in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association by Warwick Rodwell, a consultant archaeologist at Westminster Abbey, identify the most probable occupant as Ælfwig, an abbot who presided over the abbey until his death around 1020.
A Roman Coffin With a Christian Cross
Workers initially struck the stone coffin in 1820, and Westminster’s chief mason formally excavated it in 1869 from an area north of the abbey nave that once served as a sacristy yard under King Henry III. The discovery immediately puzzled Victorian antiquarians because of contrasting historical features carved onto the stone.
A fourth-century Latin inscription along the side identified the original occupant as Valerius Amandinus, a wealthy individual whose sons commissioned the tomb during the late Roman period in Britain. The coffin lid, however, featured a large carved cross dating to the 11th century, indicating the piece had been repurposed for Christian clergy hundreds of years later.
Although early written accounts suggested the skeletal remains had vanished after the initial discovery, researchers reopened the sarcophagus for laboratory examination and conservation, uncovering a complete skeleton inside. While Live Science reported the conservation opening took place in 2016, The Guardian reported that the work occurred in 2018.
Skeletal Clues and Carbon Dating
A bioarchaeological examination conducted by James Langthorne of Pre-Construct Archaeology established that the deceased was a male between 35 and 49 years old, measuring 5 feet 9 inches tall. The analysis revealed evidence of gout, osteoarthritis and two healed rib fractures, disproving an older 19th-century assumption that the occupant was a younger man under 30.
Radiocarbon testing placed the man’s death between 987 and 1052. Inside the bottom of the trough, conservators also found a rectangular white outline indicating the corpse was dusted with powdered lime and placed in an interior wooden casket before being lowered into the stone tomb.
Rodwell evaluated historical records of three abbots who led the monastery during that timeframe. Abbot Wulfsige, who led the abbey from 988 to 993, departed Westminster to serve as a bishop elsewhere, making his local interment unlikely. That left two viable candidates: Abbot Ælfwig, who governed until roughly 1020, and his successor Wulfnoth, who died around 1049.
Rodwell noted that Ælfwig spent approximately 27 years in the post and was already a resident monk at Westminster before his appointment, making him the strongest candidate for the prestigious burial.
Unanswered Questions Remain
Scholars believe the reused sarcophagus originally rested in the eastern arm of the abbey church with the carved lid flush against the floor. It was likely displaced and moved into the yard during Henry III’s major construction campaigns in the 13th century.
Despite the identification, questions persist regarding where the monks found the Roman artifact. The limestone came from quarries in Oxfordshire, and Rodwell noted that an undiscovered Roman villa or burial ground may still lie buried near Westminster Abbey. The sarcophagus is on public display in the abbey’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries.
