Testing set to be carried out on 75 historic skeletons found buried in the Aylesbury Vale town of Buckingham

Tests are finally due to be carried out on the historic skeletons found buried on a building site in Buckingham.

The discovery was made during excavations for a planned care home at West End Farm, on Brackley Road, in 2019.

Between 70 and 80 burials were excavated, with some of the skeletons appearing to be face down with their hands behind their backs, leading to speculation they may have been executed.

But no archaeology report has yet been completed, due to a financial dispute between the archaeology firm, Network Archaeology, and the developer.

Buckingham councillor Robin Stuchbury has been pushing for a resolution to the historic puzzle, saying in 2021 that his family had been in the area since 1086 and some of the skeletons ‘may be his relatives’.

Finally, this week it looks as though progress is being made. Responding to a question from Cllr Stuchbury at Bucks Council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, May 9, Cllr Peter Strachan said: “Our archaeology team are working closely with... Network Archaeology, to progress this contract.

"We all agree that there needs to be a thorough assessment of the 75 skeletons discovered at West End Farm in Buckingham and a clear plan for the long-term storage and archiving.

“Network Archaeology have agreed a scope for the post-evacuation assessment work going forward, with the archaeology team and Historic England. This will include DNA analysis, isotope analysis and other investigations to determine the age, health, cause of death and origins of these individuals.

"The developers have been asked to agree to fund this work and, all being well, assessments will start soon. This may take several months but, once the results are known, we will ensure that they’re shared with the local community and discussion regarding the long-term deposition of the skeletons will follow.”

Council leader Martin Tett expressed a personal interest in the findings, saying he would be “fascinated to know the outcome”.

He said: “Being a historian by background, I would love to know which particular age these skeletons come from, because they could come from so many different periods of time when there’s been unrest across areas of Buckinghamshire, whether it’s Iron Age, Celtic, Saxon, whatever, Roman, so it would be just fascinating to find out.”