Skeleton of middle-aged man found beneath school playground in Scotland could have belonged to executed pirate

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Pirate could have been discarded in shallow grave on wasteland, say archaeological team who found prehistoric settlement at London school

The skeleton of a man which intrigued children when it was discovered deep beneath the playground of Edinburgh’s oldest operating primary could belong to a 600-year-old criminal or pirate, say archaeologists who were surprised to discover the human bones near the harbour of the historic Scottish fishing village of Newhaven.

The remains, found at Victoria Primary School last year alongside shards of pottery from 4,000 years ago, were initially thought to have dated from the Bronze Age due to their poor condition.

But carbon dating and a facial reconstruction of the skull have shown that the bones probably belonged to a man in his 50s who could have been discarded in wasteland after his execution in a gibbet – a device once used to kill suspected witches and pirates.

“Archaeologists now know that the skeleton was likely to have been a murder victim – and quite possibly a pirate,” says Councillor Richard Lewis, of the City of Edinburgh Council, praising the “fantastic” local archaeology and museums service.

“Edinburgh has an undeniably intriguing past and some of our archaeological discoveries have been in the strangest of places.”

Rather than being buried in one of three nearby graveyards, the man could have been left in clear sight of ships to deter fellow pirates and remind them of the deathly gibbet. His “unceremonious” burial, carried out in a shallow, unmarked grave, suggests he had no local relatives or friends.

The school building was built in 1844.

“The pupils think it’s fantastic that a skeleton was found deep underneath their playground,” says Head Teacher Laura Thompson.

“The archaeologists will hold a special lesson with some of the children about how they have used science to analyse the remains. It will be a good learning opportunity for them.

“We are proud of our history and heritage and the school even has a dedicated museum to the local area.”

The speculation follows another excavation by AOC at a school in London last month. Little Ilford provided evidence of a 5,000-year-old prehistoric settlement, including a boundary ditch and Neolithic pottery.

The group said an Iron Age roundhouse, made up of four internal postholes in a square and two posts forming a porch in front of a door facing east, was “of great interest”.

Further ditches, pits and postholes indicated activity during the Roman period, with a small sherd dated to between AD 180 and 410.

• Visit AOC Archaeology for more.

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Three places to discover pirates in

Royal Museums Greenwich, London
Use a touchscreen tablet within the central Great Map to uncover stories of female pirates, Scott’s Antarctic expedition and more.

The Tolhouse, Great Yarmouth
Visit one of the oldest prisons in the country and discover the fate of thieves, smugglers, witches, pirates and murderers, whose punishment included transportation and execution.

Portchester Castle, Hampshire
One of a series of forts, from the Solent to the Wash, built in the late 3rd century by the Romans to defend against Saxon pirate. The castle was built on the site in 1120.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art543716-aoc-archaeology-victoria-school-little-ilford