A British man has been left gobsmacked and has since called authorities after making a shocking discovery whilst digging his garden.
A snap taken at the front of his property was shared to Reddit, revealing a large stone structure embedded in the earth. “Removed a massive rockery and a few old shrubs to find what could be a grave,” he penned in the CasualUK subreddit. “I’m hoping this is just a fancy planter!”
The man was inundated with suggestions and intrigue from other users of the social media platform, many of whom contributed to his fears. “It really does look like a grave marker and, where there is one there are usually more,” one person explained in response. “Whatever you do, do not dig into it. If you are in England contact your Councils Archaeology service they may have some more information on the site and they can advise.”
Meanwhile a second Reddit user penned from experience: “Archaeologist here. It’s a possibility, though it’s unlikely to be very old, given its from the present day ground level. If it’s a grave then it would the remnants of one of those above ground mausoleums. Most important point is if you find any bones then you are legally obligated to contact the council or the police.”
Grateful for the advice, the man returned to the post to to report that he had contacted the local archaeology group for the council now and would provide an update on their response. However, he soon added: “To complicate things there was a Methodist church here before these houses were built, but why would one plot be left? House built in 1949. Hopefully I’m here tomorrow or I’ll have crossed over.”
He continued: “Contacted the police, they came almost immediately. They didn’t really know what to do with it, I ended up digging a hole front of them. Felt like I was digging my own grave it was surreal. Found a white rock and it looked a bit like a bone, so that was exciting but it turns out it was just a rock. Just awaiting the archeology time team to get in touch.”
Two days later the man returned to Reddit with a follow-up post, to share that he was still awaiting a response from the council-affiliated archaeology group. “They [police] didn’t know what to do with it and seemed satisfied, unless I found any bones that is,” he said. “Now I have some time just to do some digging this is what I’ve found.”
After adding that an 1850s Ordinance Survey map had indeed pinpointed the location of a chapel on the site, he showcased a new photo revealing a deep chasm within the stone structure. “The structure is around 3-4 feet deep,” the man revealed.
“About one and a half feet down the walls of the structure get much thicker. The bottom is solid and connected to the walls, so essentially the contents are self-contained within it.”
“What orientation is it?” asked one knowlegeable Reddit user. “That’s a good way of working out if a grave or not.” After revealing it runs from East to West, others explained that traditionally, people are buried facing east towards Jesus’ homeland.
However, someone else urged: “Please stop digging it up. I can’t speak to your local Council-affiliated archaeology group, but as an archaeologist myself, this is destroying context and messing with potential future excavation and proper documentation, potentially hindering further study. Also consider the ethics of digging up a grave, if it is indeed a grave. Even if it’s over 200 years old, there still needs to be a level of respect when dealing with any human remains.”
Another person added: “I trained as an archaeologist. Although I prefer my dead people really old (Roman) or very new (forensic). Ideally I’d need more information (measurements, location in situ and ideally some history of the site), is it concrete or stone? It looks like there is a ledge within it, is this the case or have you not finished digging? If there’s a ledge, I’m more inclined to water/garden feature.”
Meanwhile, a third Reddit user offered an alternative historical explanation. “As a specialist in WW2 and cold war era bunkers I recognise this is most definitely, 100% a hole in the ground,” they wrote. “Keep going and report back your findings OP, this could be the greatest thing you have ever done in the history of you!”
Only time will tell what’s down there – so we’ll make sure to update you if further information comes to light.