Roman Coffin at Westminster Abbey May Hold a Medieval Monk

A stone coffin found at Westminster Abbey in London may have been carved for a wealthy Roman, but its bones seem to belong to a much later time. According to Phys.org, the sarcophagus was excavated in 1820, when workmen smashed its lid into six pieces. It was officially discovered in 1869.

The coffin is made of Roman limestone and carries an inscription to Valerius Amandinus, a wealthy Briton who lived around A.D. 300 to 400. A Latin cross on the lid dates from approximately the 10th or 11th century, which is much later than the Roman period.

In 2016, the sarcophagus was sent to a conservation studio. Researchers found an almost complete skeleton inside. A white lime residue outlined a rectangular timber coffin within the stone, showing where a wooden box had once sat.

Bone analysis by James Young Langthorne determined that the man was between 35 and 49 years old. He estimated the man was around 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall. Carbon dating of a bone sample gave a date of A.D. 987 to 1052.

Warwick Rodwell, consultant archaeologist at Westminster Abbey, published a new analysis in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Rodwell concludes that the bones belonged to a high-ranking medieval monk. He points to Aelfwig, who died around 1020 after serving as an abbot at Westminster Abbey. Wulnoth, Aelfwig's successor, died in 1049.

The site has also been studied in other ways. Channel 4's Time Team examined King Henry III's original sacristy on the north side of Westminster Abbey in 2009. A present-day excavation of the sacristy by Pre-Construct Archaeology was completed in 2025.

The sarcophagus is on public display in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey. The King Charles III Sacristy is set to open next year.