The bone crypt. St Leonard's church, Hythe, Kent, UK
St Leonard’s Church in Hythe has the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human bones and skulls in Britain. The collection of over 1,000 skulls is arranged on shelves in four arched bays; the ossuary also contains a single large stack of mainly thigh-bones and some additional skulls.
Many theories have been put forward over the years as to who these people were. The general consensus now is that the remains are those of many generations of Hythe residents who had been buried in the churchyard (evidenced by the deposits of soil within the skulls) and were dug up originally in the 13th century.
During the last few years the skulls and bones have been the subject of scientific research and study using the latest forensic analysis and measurement techniques. The results provide interesting new knowledge about the lifestyle of the people concerned and are overturning some long-held arguments as to the reasons for the cause of death of particular individuals, through evidence from their bones and skulls.
Scariest Place in England : St. Leonard's Church Hythe Kent.
See the gruesome remains of 4000 people in the ancient crypt of St. Leonard's Church, Hythe, Kent.
Royalty free music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod.
Bone Crypt, St Leonard’s Church, Hythe, Kent, England
The bone crypt in Hythe is open to the public seven days a week during the summer months; visit the official website for details:-
The crypt contains the largest collection of human bones and skulls in Britain, with 1,022 skulls and bone remains believed to be the inhabitants of Hythe. The origin and date of the crypt and the bone remains are unknown, but the earliest remains were dug up in the 13th century when the church was extended eastward over the graves and it is believed some of the bones may also be from other graveyards in the Hythe area that fell into disuse and were closed c1500AD.
We visited the crypt during our day visit to Hythe to see the Hythe Venation Fete of floats on the Royal Military Canal in the evening. We had difficulty finding the crypt because it wasn’t properly signposted from the town centre and we had to ask the locals for direction; and getting there was a steep climb from the high street (not suitable for disabled people), but the climb up the steep incline was well worth the effort to visit the crypt.
St Leonard's Church Hythe Kent
via YouTube Capture
Bones in St Leonard's Church Crypt, Hythe, Kent, England
Human skulls, thigh bones and jaws in the Crypt of St. Leonard's Church in Hythe, Kent, England. To see another video of an ossuary in Milan, Italy go to
Go to to see my photos from here and other similar places.
Organ Music at St Leonards Church, Hythe
Church Organ Music at St Leonard's Church, Hythe, UK.
SKULLS & BONES IN THE CRYPT! St.Leonard's Church, Hythe U.K
The largest and best preserved collection of ancient human bones and skulls in Britain.
st leonards at the hythe church colchester
st leonards at the hythe church colchester
a short video of inside this historical church
Crypt of St. Leonard
Crypt of St. Leonard: St Leonard’s Church has the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human bones and skulls in Britain. The collection consists of shelves in four arched bays that contain 1,022 skulls in total, and a single stack of bones and skulls measuring 7.5m in length, 1.8m in width and just over 1.8m in height.
St Leonard’s Church Website:
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Music: Horror Music by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist:
ST LEONARD'S CHURCH HYTHE, KENT
St Leonard's Church, Hythe, Kent
© While staying down in Romney, Kent I decided to pay a visit to St Leonard's Church in Hythe.
St Leonards and Hollington
A video history of St.Leonards and Hollington near Hastings, East Sussex.
Oldest Brewery In England 1669 Mackeson Stout (Milk) Hythe Kent Malthouse
Oldest Brewery In England 1669 Mackeson Stout (Milk) Hythe Kent Malthouse.
Join me on my search for one of England's oldest and most successful breweries, Mackeson's brewery, Hythe, Kent. Mackeson became famous for its Mackeson (Milk) Stout in the early 20th century. There has been a brewery in Hythe since 1669.
Places featured in this video:
Malthouse in Hythe High Stree
The stream at Brockhill Country Park.
The Bell Pub
The King's Head Pub
The Hope Pub
Red Lion Pub
The Duke's Head Pub
Military Terrace, Military Road
Royal Military Canal
Tour of the crypt of St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, London, March 2006
Not many people see this! Next to Shoreditch High Street, Father Paul takes some of us Ripperologists on a tour of the crypt of St Leonard's Church. Coffins aplenty!
Haunted Britain: St Mary's Church, Langenhoe, Essex, England.
Site of the church once famed within paranormal circles as, 'The Most Haunted Church In England'. With links to the even more famous Borley Rectory haunting through the Waldegrave family, this place has some dark and interesting tales to tell. If only its long ago greatness could be glimpsed today through a greater lens than which the murky veiled ponderings of yesteryear provide, and that we were left with more than just the stories and echoes of a place that once was.
But alas, all we have today are the stories handed down, as the church itself has long been demolished. Still, this is an atmospheric location and one that is worthy of a visit. And from its destruction we are left with one obvious question! Was the church really unsafe? Or was it too much bad publicity for an establishment already showing signs of falling numbers, to maintain a religious building with such an infamous reputation? It has been reported that one of the final demolition team stated that the building would have never fallen, insinuating that it didn't really need to be demolished. And it is fact that many other churches have been left to stand in ruinous state, many even being stabilised and made 'safe' to be open to the public.
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MUSIC
'Spirit of the Dead'
by Aakash Gandhi
'Window Demons'
by Roljui
'Simmering'
by Asher Fulero
Amazing Discovery in London Church.
Shot of St. Martin in the Fields. Shot of the interior of the crypt. Close shot of Rev. Pat McCormick speaking. Shot of bones and skulls found in hidden place in the crypt.
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21 Ancient Human Skulls Stolen From Historic Church in 'Appalling' Crime
Thieves have stolen 21 ancient skulls from the ossuary of an historic church in the county of Kent, U. K.Local police launched a witness appeal on Wednesday, after thieves lifted the skulls from St. Leonard’s Church in Hythe.Police think the thieves struck some time between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, leaving a broken lock behind. St.Leonard’s ossuary is thought to house the partial remains of between 2,000 and 4,000 people, the church reported. More than 1,000 skulls line the shelves of the ossuary, which also contains an enormous pile of bones and skulls measuring 25 foot long, six foot wide and six foot high. The remains are thought to be between 900 and 600 years old.“An ‘ossuary’ is the name given to an object or place designed to serve as the final resting-place of human skeletal remains,” Reverend Andrew Sweeney, priest-in-charge of St Leonard's, said in a statement. “We are saddened that the greed, selfishness or stupidity of some people has destroyed that assumption of common human values. ”The church has now invested in an expensive security system to help protect the collection of bones. Getty Images Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now The exact origin of the bones remains a mystery, with suggestions including they may be the remains of Danish pirates, victims of the Black Death or fallen soldiers from England’s famous Battle of Hastings. Up to 200 million people across Europe and Asia are thought to have died in an enormous plague during 12th century. The event is now called the Black Death, the Black Plague or simply the Great Plague. The Battle of Hastings was a country-defining fight between the armies of William, the Duke of Normandy from Normandy-France and Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson that took place in 1066. William won a decisive victory, completing the Norman Conquest of England.The Bayeux Tapestry famously depicts the battle and King Harold’s death. Getty Images Recent scientific analyses of the bones revealed more than half belonged to women, and roughly 10 percent were from juveniles. This led experts to conclude the bones were likely the remains of local residents collected and stored during the extension of the church into an existing graveyard. Locals are appalled by the theft, Sweeney said.“Each skull taken represents the mortal remains of a human being who deserves to rest in peace… There is no conceivable reason for any of these skulls to be in the hands of anyone but the church. ”“We recognise this is perhaps an unusual theft, but these skulls were not free for the taking, they are part of an important collection and we are keen to see them back in their rightful place in the crypt,” said Kent Police’s Inspector Maxine Harris.
St Leonard's, Hythe
St Leonard's, Hythe - created at
Ossuary St Leonard’s Church, Hythe Kent © Jeane
Inside the Crypt are the remains of approx 4,000 men, women and children including 2,000 skulls and 8,000 thigh bones. The bones date to before the Norman Conquest and were gathered from 800 AD to early 1500 AD. The Parish Church of St Leonard’s was built in 1080 AD. The first photo shows a robins nest inside a skull.