Experts reveal next steps to uncover more about remains at 8th century Cookham monastery

Experts have revealed the next steps they will take to find out more about the remains found at an eighth-century monastery in Cookham.

The monastery, led by Queen Cynethryth more than 1,200 years ago, is believed to have been one of the UK’s earliest hospices, where surgeries, herbal remedies and medical support was offered to the sick and dying.

Archaeologists from the University of Reading have been excavating the royal site on land adjacent to Holy Trinity Church every summer since 2021.

The team returned to the site on Tuesday to start this year’s four-week programme, which will keep them on-site until Saturday, August 9.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Professor Gabor Thomas, who is leading the project, said he was ‘really excited’ over the latest development.

He said: “Evidence of this type is very rare and, it’s [just] a very interesting dimension on the monastery that we’ve got under excavation here.

“It’s very much helping us understand the role of this religious establishment in the period that we’re looking at.”

Professor Thomas said that in the eighth-ninth centuries, there were no formal hospitals provided by the state, as there are in modern times.

“So, the question then becomes, who cared for the sick and dying?”, he added.

“And really it was monasteries that played that role at this date because they had a moral and religious obligation to provide that kind of care.”

The initial analysis conducted of the 23 skeletons excavated from the 80 burials discovered at the site, revealed that residents at the monastery suffered from poor health, ranging from tumours and infections to skeletal trauma.

Examination of the 14 remains excavated from the eastern trench at the site revealed that there were six females, seven males and a child.

Most of the adults died after the age of 46 and most of their bodies were smaller than expected for their age.

Professor Thomas said: “It may be because they were frail and ill.

“They maybe suffered from illnesses for quite an extensive period of their lives.

“So, that might be the reason why we’re getting people of shorter stature here.”

Results also showed that one individual appeared to have undergone skull surgery prior to death, while older people showed signs of osteoarthritis.

Two others had bone deformities, likely to have been caused by tumours.

An infant, who died before reaching the age of one, was also found as part of the nine remains excavated from the western trench.

Professor Thomas said further analysis will be carried out to find out more about the remains.

He said: “The scientific analysis would be the next stage in terms of taking the analysis to a deeper level.

“So, we’d be doing a molecular level study of isotopes and ancient DNA.”

He added the team will be doing this to try and discover more about the individuals’ ancestry, and if the ancient DNA can pick up any diseases they may have died from.

As part of their research, the team are also looking to find out more about the individuals’ diets.

“The diet can sort of inform us what kind of lives they had,” said Professor Thomas.

“Are [they] rich people, poor people, is that reflected in their diet?

“Are they receiving any particular kind of diet as part of their care that they’re receiving at the monastery?”

Over the next four weeks, the team will be studying a range of discoveries around the site, including a structure believed to be a watermill.

Professor Thomas added: “We’re digging up lots of different parts of the monastery.

“We’ve got buildings that would have formed part of the communal structures within the monastery.

“We’ve got, what we believe is a watermill that was owned and used by the monastery as well, quite close to the [River] Thames.”

He explained that the team is trying to understand what the various elements of the mill were.

“We think we’ve got the site of the actual mill house itself.

“It’s very rare to get mill buildings of this date,” he added.

Bookable tours of the site are available during the excavation period via the Friends of Cookham Abbey at: cookhamabbey.org.uk/

Following this year’s work, the team are set to return to the site for the next three summers to make more discoveries.