Burial service for remains of 300-year-old sailor

It is believed the bones belonged to a man aged between 25 and 50

The remains of a man thought to be a shipwrecked sailor from the 18th Century have been honoured in Cornwall with a burial.

The 300-year-old skeleton, found on the coastal path at Trevone near Padstow in November 2022, was buried at Padstow Cemetery on Friday.

Archaeologist Dr Richard Mikulski said it was thought the man, believed to be between 25 and 50 years old when he died, was a sailor or fisherman.

He said: "The marks on the back of teeth tell us about the lifestyle he had that would fit with this fisherman's lifestyle. The bones themselves show he was extremely hardy with good upper body strength."

The marked teeth show his lifestyle would fit with that of a fisherman

He added: "The most likely thing is that this is a drowned or shipwrecked sailor or fisherman, who, unfortunately, has lost their life at sea and been washed up and probably buried by local individuals who didn't know who this individual was."

The archaeologist said marks on the inside of the upper teeth showed he probably used his mouth to work with rope or nets.

Ann Reynolds, from Cornwall Council's historic environment team, said the Padstow area and the Doom Bar, a large sandbank that stretches across the Camel Estuary, was an infamous and dangerous part of the Cornish coast.

She said: "The remains of people who we have lost through that, in a way, we have this obligation to look after, to care for them, to treat them respectfully when they're found and to give them a proper end burial.

"This was somebody's son and it's important to respect that.

"We are giving them a second life... rather than out on the cliff path where they've been for 300 years.

"It's a privilege to be able to do that."

'Proper burial'

Stonemason Stephane Rouget has carved a wave in a £3,000 granite gravestone for the man to represent the power of the sea.

He said: "I think everyone will know what the wave has done.

"It can also bring closure in some ways.

"Many people can relate to this who may have lost someone at sea and they can grieve at this site."

Councillor Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for environment at Cornwall Council, said it was "incredible" what had been learnt about the man and how he lived.

He added: "Sadly, we are all too familiar with tragedies off the Cornish coast and I'm grateful that Padstow Town Council have dedicated a grave to him and others who have been lost at sea.

"I'm very pleased that we have given this man a proper burial so he can finally rest in peace."

The costs for the burial have been covered through heritage fundraising events.