Skeleton of 16th cent. pirate found under school

Council workers were baffled to find the gruesome skeleton while carrying out survey work to build an extension to the primary school.

A reconstructed image of what the man could have looked like (left) and a digital image of the skull 
[Credit: City of Edinburgh Council]

Archaeologists have since found the bones are likely to be that of a man in his fifties who was killed for being a pirate.

Carbon dating indicates the skeleton, unearthed under Victoria Primary School in Edinburgh, was from the 16th or 17th centuries.

Experts say locals slaughtered the man on a gibbet, a structure used for public execution, and his corpse was dumped on wasteland by the sea in sight of ships to deter other pirates from stopping on their shores.

Forensic artist Hayley Fisher has created a facial reconstruction of the pirate’s skull.

The pirate’s corpse was said to have been dumped by the sea on wasteland 
[Credit: City of Edinburgh Council]

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Edinburgh has an undeniably intriguing past and some of our archaeological discoveries have been in the strangest of places.

“Thanks to carbon dating techniques, archaeologists now know that the skeleton was likely to have been a murder victim — and quite possibly a pirate.

“It’s fantastic that through the council’s archaeology and museums service, we are able to investigate such discoveries and add to our understanding of Newhaven’s heritage.”

Laura Thompson, headteacher at Victoria Primary School, said: “As the oldest working primary school in Edinburgh, we are proud of our history and heritage and the school even has a dedicated museum to the local area.

“The pupils think it’s fantastic that a skeleton was found deep underneath their playground.

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

Source: Irish Daily Star [January 03, 2016]