29th March 2024
Medieval scandal uncovered in Oxford: Archaeologist Found Skeletons of ‘Sex-Crazed’ Nuns
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Archaeologists uncovering a church site in Oxford have found skeletons of nuns who died in disgrace after being accused of ‘sex-crazed’ behavior.

Discovered during planned construction close to Oxford United football stadium, the burial ground is over what used to be Littlemore Priory, a nunnery established in 1110.

The skeleton of one woman was found face down, and researchers believe she may have been one of the infamous ‘sinner nuns’ who forced the nunnery to shut down in 1524.

Archaeologists excavating a church site in Oxford have found skeletons of nuns who died in disgrace after being accused of 'sex-crazed' behaviour. The skeleton of one lady was found face down, and researchers believe she may have been one of the infamous 'sinner nuns' who forced the nunnery to shut down in 1524.
Archaeologists excavating a church site in Oxford have found skeletons of nuns who died in disgrace after being accused of ‘sex-crazed’ behaviour. The skeleton of one lady was found face down, and researchers believe she may have been one of the infamous ‘sinner nuns’ who forced the nunnery to shut down in 1524.

Researchers led by Paul Murray of John Moore Heritage Services found 92 skeletons of ladies, men, and children.

Most of the of the burials were females, at 35, with males accounting for 28. The researchers said it was difficult to determine the gender of the remaining 29.

Archaeologists released photos of the grisly discovery this week, explaining that some of the bodies were buried upside down, a “mark of shame” that has to lead them to believe that they had been responsible for lewd, or immoral behavior. So called “prone burials” are thought to have been reserved for witches or sinners.

‘Burials within the church are likely to represent wealthy or eminent individuals, nuns and prioresses,’ Murray said in a statement.

‘Those buried outside most likely represent the laity and a general desire to be buried as near the religious heart of the church as possible,’ he added.

Researchers led by Paul Murray of John Moore Heritage Services, found 92 skeletons of women, men and children. Pictured is one of the unidentified skeletons found at the site
Researchers led by Paul Murray of John Moore Heritage Services, found 92 skeletons of women, men and children. Pictured is one of the unidentified skeletons found at the site

A few skeletons showed signs of health problems, including 2 children who suffered from severe limps, according to Discovery News.

One burial had signs of leprosy, while another included a stillborn baby in a well made casket and a woman buried in a face down position.

Murray believes the woman’s unusual position may have been a penitential act by those who buried her, in the hope it would atone for her sins.

Such burials, dubbed ‘prone burials’, are usually reserved for witches or sinners.

The priory was surrounded by scandal in its final year’s, with some nuns being accused of ‘immoral and lewd’ behavior.

The latest prioress, Katherine Wells, for instance, is believed an illegitimate daughter with the father being a priest who still visited her.

Eileen Power in her book Medieval English Nunneries portrays the priory as ‘one of the worst nunneries of which records survived’ and this was ‘largely due to a particularly bad prioress, Katherine Wells’. 

Wells was also believed to have taken a great part of the priory’s goods and pawned its valuables to provide the girl with a dowry.

Within the last year, another of the nuns had had an illegitimate child whose father was a married man in Oxford

A visitation carried out in 1445 describe the dormitory as ‘so ruinous the nuns were afraid to sleep there’ and ‘that the nuns were sleeping two to a bed’ with even the prioress having to share her bed. 

The sins committed were so grave by medieval standards that the nunnery was permanently close down in 1542 by the one-time adviser to King Henry VIII, Thomas Wolsey, who made the final call.

Transformed into a farmhouse, the priory might be incorporated into a new hotel being built at the site as a restaurant.

Discovered during planned construction near Oxford United football stadium, the burial ground is over what used to be Littlemore Priory, a nunnery founded in 1110
Discovered during planned construction near Oxford United football stadium, the burial ground is over what used to be Littlemore Priory, a nunnery founded in 1110

3 thoughts on “Medieval scandal uncovered in Oxford: Archaeologist Found Skeletons of ‘Sex-Crazed’ Nuns

  1. Guys, straighten out the dates. Wolsey was dead by 1542. The nunneries and monasteries were being dissolved as part of an expropriation scheme.
    Does the paragraph about Abbess Wells mean she had an illegitimate child , or was an illegitimate child visited by her father?

  2. How did Thomas Wolsey close the nunnery in 1542? Did you get the date mixed up? Wolsey does in 1530. It wasn’t Thomas Cromwell either although he did close down many religious houses. Cromwell was executed in 1540. You may want to fact check and correct this point. Otherwise it’s a very interesting article.

  3. You’re unaware if the seizure of church lands and goods headed by Wolsey, at the behest of Henry VIII? The nuns weren’t necessarily bad– the King wanted the church’s wealth. Read a book!

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