Reepham – Three Churches in One Churchyard (Grave to Unknown Local Friends)

This really is quite lovely, a beautiful gravestone located in a prominent part of the churchyard shared by the three churches in Reepham.

The “unknown local friends” is a poignant phrase and it notes the site where 63 bodies were found when urgent storm drain repair work took place in 2007. The gravestone, which was funded by local donations, was designed by local stone carver Teucer Wilson and it reads:

‘Here lie unknown local friends from the 14th century, laid to rest by the people of Reepham in June 2010. Their souls are known by God.”

I understand that the bodies were found near to where I’ve placed the cursor on the above map. The burials were in the St. Mary’s Church section of the churchyard and they were placed there in the fourteenth century. Analysis was done on the skeletons and it was discovered that many of the individuals had suffered from osteoarthritis issues.