13th September 2016
Another historical mystery has been solved – the burial place of some of the 1,700 Scottish soldiers who died imprisoned by Oliver Cromwell in Durham. They were captured at the Battle of Dunbar in September 1650, fighting against the Parliamentarians for Charles II's claim to their throne. Many died on the march south, but around 3,000 arrived and were kept in Durham Cathedral – its clergy had been ejected under Cromwell's Puritan regime. Conditions were bad – sanitation was lacking, and it's thought that some starved to death. Many of the sick were taken to the neighbouring Durham Castle.
Durham University found the remains of between 17 and 29 people in 2013, during work to build a new cafe between the cathedral and castle – the bodies had been tipped into two mass graves, which are now partly underneath university buildings. Analysis concluded they belong to some of the Scottish prisoners. Now there will be a commemoration later this year, and the remains will be reburied in a nearby cemetery in late 2017.
This passage about the battle is from my Civil War novel Virgin Earth:
The Scots pressed on southwards for London; the English army chased after them until the Scots chose the ground and turned to face the pursuers outside Dunbar. The English were hopelessly outnumbered; injury, illness, and desertion had taken a dramatic toll. Cromwell was uncertain whether to go forwards against the Scots or fall back. Only Lambert gritted his teeth and said they must fight then and there.
While Cromwell dropped the flap of his tent so that he might weep and pray in privacy, John Lambert mustered the army and told them simply and clearly that the Scots outnumbered them by two to one and thus they must fight with double bravery, double persistence, and double faith. There were about twenty-two thousand Scotsmen drawn up for battle, and only eleven thousand of them. With the smile that Hester Tradescant secretly loved, Lambert pulled off his plumed hat and beamed at his troops. ‘I don’t think this is a difficulty,’ he shouted. ‘Come on, Ironsides!’
Early in September, Alexander sent a one line note to John.
Scots defeated at Dunbar.
https://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/europe/pg-skeletons/
Thank you to Annie Tompkins for sharing the story.