Skeleton find prolongs roadworks in Guernsey

Guernsey Electricity found the skull while laying new cables

A skeleton dug up by workmen near St Saviour's Church in Guernsey has been identified as more than 100 years old.

Guernsey Electricity found a skull two weeks ago while laying new cables under Les Neuf Chemin Road and it was dated by forensic scientists.

The find meant the road was closed for longer than planned as work was stopped during the investigation.

The Reverend Mark Charmley of St Saviour's Church said he would hold a service and re-inter the remains.

'Silent witness'

He said: "The first I knew about it was we had a policeman knock on my door and say we've found a body.

"And you think OK you've found a body what do mean by that, and he said it was a skeleton and I came out to see the site.

"All the workers had to stop work, down in the hole there was a policeman in a full plastic suit with a trowel gradually digging up the bones and taking photos, all you needed was a camera crew and it could have been silent witness or something."

The body was found next to the current graveyard and Mr Charmley said old maps showed there had been a bigger graveyard and no road.

He said: "Looking at the way it was lying, it's in line with the church and all the bodies in the graveyard are lined up to face the same way as the church."

The investigation concluded that the body had been laid to rest in the former graveyard and not moved when the road was built.