Bodies found in crypt under Wetherspoons given memorial service

The memorial dedicated to two bodies found during excavation work for a JD Wetherspoon pub

Two 18th Century bodies found in a crypt during excavation work for a JD Wetherspoon pub have been given a permanent memorial.

The unidentified man and woman were found in May 2017 during the building of a new pub in Gorleston, Norfolk.

It was later discovered that the site was a former church, but there was no indication of who lay in the crypt.

The bodies were reburied last year but have now been given a memorial service at Gorleston Old Cemetery.

Local historians and archaeologists failed to decipher who the people were and the bodies were in such a poor condition that scientific testing was difficult.

The bodies were found in an unmarked 18th Century crypt

But research found that the site was once a Methodist chapel dating back to 1844 and had since been a retailer, warehouse and office space before becoming derelict.

The crypt was found across the road from a funeral home, which housed the bodies before their reburial and then arranged the memorial stone.

Minister Katy Dunn, who took the memorial service, said: "We don't know their names, but they lived here and maybe their descendants still do.

"It's good to remember them and to have this new memorial stone to mark their lives."

Building work of the new pub was held up after the bodies were found and a Wetherspoon spokesman said: "We worked closely with the experts to ensure the matter was dealt with in the correct manner."

The pub has since opened and the spokesman added the company was pleased the bodies were "given the fitting tribute they deserve".