LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND—The Guardian reports that a mass grave dating to the fourteenth century has been uncovered at the remote site of a medieval priory and hospital in eastern England by researchers led by Hugh Willmott of the University of Sheffield. Sample DNA tests of the remains of the four dozen men, women, and children indicate they were killed by the illness known as the Black Death. Such burials are usually found in population centers such as London, Willmott explained, while it had been previously thought that plague victims living in rural areas were buried in local parish churchyards. “But actually what this suggests is that this was a rural community that couldn’t cope, and when the Black Death arrived, the normal system for doing things broke down.” The dead had all been placed in the pit within days of each other, wrapped in shrouds and carefully laid side by side, Willmott added. “Even though it is the height of a terrible disaster, they are taking as much care as they can with the dead,” he said. To read about the origin of the bacterium that caused the Black Death, go to "Around the World: Russia."
