Ludlow churchyard sealed off after bones found
Monday 18th April 2011, 11:23AM BST.
An area of Ludlow was today sealed off after human remains were discovered by a member of the public.
Police were alerted to the discovery shortly after 6am today and called in forensic experts to examine the bones. The discovery was made in the 14th century grounds of the former St Leonard’s Church, in Corve Street.
A police cordon has been placed around the churchyard.
But officers today said they believed the bones were likely to be very old.
Maria Wilkinson, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, said: “Police are currently in attendance at an old churchyard in Corve Street, Ludlow, after a woman reported she had found what appears to be human remains.
“The church closed for worship in the 1970s and its yard has since fallen into a bad state of repair, with a lot of animal activity present.
“At this stage we believe the bones, which appear to be very old, have been disturbed by an animal.
“An area has been cordoned off while police establish who is responsible for the site.”
Ben Burford, who works at St Leonards Press which is now based inside the church building, said: “A forensics team has been here today.”
Access to the churchyard was kept open today for customers of St Leonards Press.
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Bones you say?
In a churchyard you say?
Hmmmmmm…
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Its not an April Fools Joke – so has anyone else pointed out the obvious plausible explanation?
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I’m sorry but I had to laugh at this! Maybe it’s my sense of humour but what else is there in a churchyard?
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Wow, bones in a churchyard? who would have thought!?
What ever next? people praying?
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Bones found in churchyard? Incredible. Hold the front page..
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That disused graveyard is overrun with foxes, badgers and other vermin which burrow into the graves. This is how the bones keep getting thrown up to the surface. Its about time the council got rid of these filthy animals.
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…or perhaps the council should look after the land, if it’s council owned, or the owner if it’s not.
But no, maybe you’re right, perhaps the council should be going around killing animals. That’s what we need, more killing of stuff and more blaming of the council if stuff isn’t being killed in high enough numbers. Yay, for killing things!!!
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Spectacular reply! Wholly supported!
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With you all the way………does life mean so little that we think we have the right to kill things that are fighting to survive in the first place!
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Yes! In a time of cuts (libraries closing, no care for old people or a decent education for young people) let us put public money where it’s best used: killing animals that have the audacity to live in the countryside. What has the world come to.
PS. Aren’t churches owned by the Church of England? Could always have a Kill the animals fundraiser?
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@ Phil
If by “filthy animals” you’re referring to the two-legged vermin that wreak havoc in so many churchyards and cemeteries, then I’m with you all the way.
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I’m doubtful that this is what is turning bones up….bodies themselves would be in coffins which take considerable time to decay, and are buried relatively deep to where a fox or badger would dig for food, and the sealed coffins keep in the ‘aromas’ that may attract the animals. It doesn’t appear to be a typical issue seen in graveyards across the country, and I’m betting there are badgers, foxes etc close to most graveyards, so if your idea on the cause of the bones were true then it’d be a common occurrence at many graveyards, and I’m not sure that it is.
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Yes bones,but one would expect the bones to be under the ground not on top of it! Use some common sense and decency here people.
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My friend has a dog called Bones. When i saw the headline i thought that Bones had been lost and then found by the police in the graveyard. No idea why the police would seal off an area for a dog though. It reminds me of the time they put traffic lights on the old Whitchurch Road. I lost my dog then.
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You couldn’t right those headlines…. oh! you did. Thank you for the laughter.
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We walked through this graveyard on Saturday night, it’s so old and overgrown. Some of the graves have sunken and tombs broken open, it’s likely an animal has brought them to the surface.
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Walking through an old overgrown graveyard, at night, with bones strewn over the place – You ghoul !
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Creeping round old graveyards with bones tumbling out you sound just like Jacko in the music video Thriller!
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I bet it was Scooby Doo and the pesky kids
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This has to be one for ‘Have I got News for you’
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They have found bones in the church yardit says in the report mmmmmmmmm , well a good reporter follows the 5 W’S who,what,where,when,why,in this case you could add an extra w
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Although St. Leonard’s church has been deconsecrated, the churchyard is still a sacred burial ground. Since the church stopped being used for worship the graveyard has been turned into a mini nature reserve close to the town centre – and I value it greatly. Unfortunately badgers moved in and have created a large sett – they are the ones digging up the bones.
The cemetery contains tombs as recent as the 1930s, including several War Graves. The bones that are causing so much mirth in these posts may well be those of people whose siblings, children and grandchildren are still living in the town. How would you feel if it was YOUR parents? Or your relative who had been killed in battle?
The badgers, needless to say, are protected from interference, but I am firmly of the opinion that the fact that their “rights” are given a higher value than respect for the dead and the feelings of the living says a great deal about what Britain has become. It would be perfectly straightforward to re-locate the badgers – but not the very large number of burials.
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“It would be perfectly straightforward to re-locate the badgers”.
Stop lecturing and get on with it then.
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What are the Badgers doing with the bones ?
Making a hearty broth or perhaps a scale model of Ludlow Castle ?
These graves are obviously not looked after so let the critters have the bones,
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seriously
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Its because the badgers which live in the church yard have been digging them up
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………and in other news: “leaf falls off tree”
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Do you have a contact number for the tree?
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