Human Skull Found in Amble
 

Noticed front page of the Northumberland Gazette (15/4/10) that a skull has been found in Amble and "Tests Show Skull is Human" (although I think human skulls are pretty distinctive :))

Anyway, found in a 'bay' between Links Avenue and Links Road, whatever a 'bay' is ? parking bay???

So it's off to Edinburgh University for carbon dating.



Reminds me of 1994/5 when I discovered some 'human remains' myself.
On the eroding sand dunes opposite the caravan site, no ancient cist or anything, just a few bones; to be precise one femur, two fibulas and two tibias. (plus smaller bones, but no skull)


Obviously human to me, I went and sought the Police and returned to the scene with two officers. This material, which was apparently of some age was duly collected and sent somewhere for analysis.

I did ask the Police - please, please, keep me informed of the results, but alas I never did receive any more information, so I have no idea of a date.
I guess the academics have no interest in keeping the plebs informed? :)



bones I found on Amble dunes:


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/images/bones.jpg

I know who that skull belongs to! ....... no-body :rolleyes:

Seriously though, finding a heap of bones must be strange, one of the many shipwreck victims along that coast no doubt, poor soul.

Regarding the police not keeping you informed reminds me of a bloke i met last year, digging bait on Alnmouth beach. It was either him or his son (I forget which) found a sword in that little burn that crosses the road.
Dutifully, he takes it to Alnwick Castle museum to see what they make of it.
After a spell he's heard nowt so makes enquiries and it seems the sword has been "mislaid" very sorry.

Probably had a good bit value as well as historical interest, but now we'll never know :mad:

I'm not 'Northumberland Estates' biggest fan so Alnwick Castle would be the last direction I would head if I found anything. ;)


Church hill at Alnmouth has produced a carved stone Anglo-Saxon cross (Apparently in the Alnwick Castle Collection :mad:) the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church have been detected as well as a later Medieval one I believe. The sword would have the potential to be very interesting.

On the subject of human remains found at Amble, I read this last night in Frederick Moffatt's book "A Tap at the End of the Raa" (hopefully I've not exceeded fair use here):

"Amble has a number of strange things, but one of the oddest was the discovery of what became known as "The Amble skeleton on the beach". A holidaymaker from the caravan site was walking along the beach when he found a human skull, well above the watermark. He reported it to the police,(of whom I was one at the time) and they unearthed a complete skeleton of a girl aged about 14. At first it was thought to be fairly recent and a murder enquiry was commenced; among a number of items unearthed was a locket with the picture of a young girl inside, probably the deceased, and dozens of parents wrote in when the picture was published in the national press, all hoping that it may have solved their problem of a missing daughter. Eventually, scientists did a radiation scan of the bones, and it was decided that it was much older than had been thought. The matter was the subject of a BBC 2 documentary in which I took part, when the discovery was reconstructed. To this day however, the "Skeleton on the Beach" is unsolved. Who was she? "




I do recall this, but cannot remember the year. I do not recall the BBC documentary - can anyone here remember it?

There was a story at the time that an Amble priest had disappeared in the 19c at the same time as a young girl. But I guess this was just some sensationalist rumour? Or was it?

I remember this as being early to mid 1970s, I'll do some digging, sorry, research!

That matches my best guess for the period too hollydog.

Just leafing through Eric Simonsen's book 'Warkworth Harbour' mentioned in this thread today, he records:

Week ending 14th June. [1924] Five skeletons were found in the sand banks between Amble and Hauxley. The bones were found in a trench about four feet deep, beside the bones were two copper coins dated 1762 and 1753, which leads one to conclude they were buried about the middle of the 18th century. It was believed the bones were those of a shipwrecked crew, smugglers or poachers of about 150 years ago. A button and piece of cloth found by the bones, favours the suggestion that they were sailors.


Someone should make a list!

I'm beginning to think shipwrecks are the most likely source of these 'bodies in the dunes'. Even the 14 year old girl could have been a passenger in some ill-fated vessel.

The alternative to burying them where they are found is for someone to cart them off to Warkworth - we know this happened in 1821 (Catherine) but did it happen all the time?

Found numerous copper 1700's coins (big cartwheel pennies) detecting on that beach as well as some hammered from Edward 1 - it has certainly been a busy beach over the years!
PS sand/erosion conditions havn't been right to detect down there for a couple of years now - need a few months of easterlies!!

I didn’t know you were a detectorist! Lucky if I've been out with mine half a dozen times since I bought the thing years ago.

Know what you mean about the sand though....I'm waiting for it to pull back so I can get a look at the Mesolithic human footprints at Bondicar, still never seen them, and.... there's a couple of coal seams I've become aware of (to photograph not dig!) but again these have been buried under sand for ages.


Amble beach with the sand back:

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/images/amble_beach.jpg

Make sure you post it if the footprints reappear!
There is a coal seam which is uncovered periodically (last year) just opposite the last gate to the caravan park. The postcard of coal heughing on the beach in the 1920's is that area I believe.

I noticed that seam too, there were a few digging it now and again last year, not sure what seam it is or if it has a name/letter.

There's a flat area of peat appearing at Amble beach at the moment. Similar to the exposure at south Hauxley with the footprints in it.

I'm convinced there are human footprints in the Amble exposure too, if so the oldest sign of human habitation in Amble township? (I think it's just in the old boundary)

Just not enough uncovered to find a 'trail' or series of 'steps' to remove any doubt.

This is probably the best. Two overlapping? Smaller than mine, female or teen?

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ints-amble.jpg

That is seriously impressive Coquet....are you going to report it?

I will if more are uncovered and there's a clear series of them. They could disappear under sand instead for the next 18 months tomorrow which is a problem!