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United Kingdom

Baby skeleton found under UK floorboards may predate 1910 newspaper it was wrapped in by centuries

Tuesday, 14 April 2026, 14:45 · 1 min read

The skeletal remains of an infant boy discovered under the floorboards of a Victorian house in Bishop Auckland (a market town in County Durham, northern England) in 2024 may date back as far as the early 18th century, an inquest has heard. Although the baby — wrapped in a 1910 edition of a Sunday newspaper with twine looped three times around his neck — was initially believed to have died around that year, radiocarbon dating now suggests he was most likely alive between 1726 and 1812. The cause of death could not be determined, and the child remains unidentified; he is to be given a funeral on 27 April, with the inquest adjourned until 18 May in hopes that further evidence may shed light on the case.

Sources
The GuardianBaby skeleton wrapped in 1910 newspaper may have lived more than century earlier, inquest hears ↗︎
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