Lincoln leprosy hospital set to be unearthed this summer

Lincoln residents are hoping to unearth the lost history of a medieval leprosy hospital this summer.

Taking place over two weekends in July (11 to 13 July and 18 to 20 July), the project will focus on the historic Malandry Leper Hospital site on South Common, which is thought to have been built around the same time as Lincoln Cathedral.

With the support of professional archaeologists, several 1m x 1m test pits will be excavated to investigate the presence of the hospital’s structures, cemetery, and associated artefacts.

Professor Samantha Tipper is leading the dig," it's history that people aren't really aware of," she said.

"A lot of people don't even understand or know that it was a leprosy at one point.

"It was open for over 500 years. So there's lots and lots of people who've lived and died at in that space that we're unaware of."

"We do know where there are skeletal remains already. So we're going to look and see if we can work out exactly the extent of that cemetery site."

The research aims to include identifying evidence of the hospital’s buildings, mapping the associated cemetery, and studying burial practices.

The findings will contribute to the South Common archive and could lead to digital interpretations, aiming to enhance people's engagement with the site’s history.

Professor Tipper explains how the project started, "I analysed skeletal remains from a place called Beaumont Fee in Lincoln a few years ago, and there was one individual that had leprosy," she said.

"That sparked this whole project because I was wondering - Why was he there? Why was he buried there? Nobody else had leprosy, so where could he have come from?"

"That led down a deep hole of asking where were the leprosy hospitals in Lincoln and who were the people who were living there."

Archaeological digs can often focus on so-called 'high status' individuals - people who came from power and wealth.

Professor Tipper says this project will allow everyday people's lives to be documented.

"I think in in some ways, they're even more interesting because they give us more information about what really daily life and occupations and health and disease were actually like.

"You will have some high status burials of people's, benefactors and some wealthy individuals.

"But leprosy didn't really discriminate between the classes of people."