Cathedral Chests Thought to Contain Remains of Early Royal Family

From ITV News

Chests in Winchester Cathedral that are thought to contain the remains of Royal Families of Wessex and three bishops.

A discovery in Winchester Cathedral could provide clues to the birth of our nation.

The chests are being analysed after its thought the bones of early royal families of England and three bishops could be inside.

Experts from the University of Oxford and Bristol are working to record and analyse the chests' contents and find out what they could uncover about the nation's history.

"This is an exciting moment for the Cathedral when we seem poised to discover that history has indeed safeguarded the mortal remains of some of the early Saxon Kings who became the first monarchs of a united England.

Winchester holds the secrets of the birth of the English nation and it does seem that some of those secrets are about to be revealed as future research continues.

The presence of the bones in the Cathedral, where they would have been placed near the High Altar and the relics of St Swithun, remind us just how significant the inspiration of the Christian faith was for the foundation of our national life.”

– The Dean of Winchester, The Very Revd James Atwell