May 26, 2020 1.57 pm This story is over 46 months old

Archaeologists bring medieval Lincoln priest back to virtual life

Likeness brought back to life
Photo: Hew Morrison
By Local Democracy Reporter

The face of a medieval priest from Lincoln whose body was unearthed by archaeologists has now been recreated to show his likeness.

Allen Archaeology Ltd discovered the priestly burial earlier in the year at Lincoln Cathedral, and shared a facial reconstruction of the clergy member.

Hew Morrison, a forensic artist, used the findings to build a reconstruction of the priest’s face and allow the people of Lincolnshire to come face-to-face with him — virtually.

By analysing the skeleton, it shows that the priest was a male, most likely in his late 30s, and he was approximately 169cm tall.

While the facial reconstruction doesn’t show exact likeness results, it used skull features to give a general idea of age, head symmetry and aesthetic looks.

The accuracy of the work included even finding hypoplasia in the neck, which is an underdevelopment of tissue that could’ve been associated with asymmetry of the blood vessels.

It is unsure as to when this priest died, but he was found with grave goods including a pewter chalice and paten, items that have been traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries.

Natasha Powers, senior manager at Allen Archaeology, said: “This burial is just one of the fascinating discoveries that our team has made during the Cathedral Connected project.

“Full analysis of the 50 or so burials that have been unearthed will provide us with a window into understanding the lives of the medieval population of Lincoln.”