Digging for the truth about city’s lepers

8:24am Thursday 27th December 2007

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ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unveiled ambitious plans to excavate Winchester's medieval leper hospital.

The project, by the University of Winchester, will focus on a site on the eastern edge of the city, close to St Swithun's School.

The area, known as "Hospital Field", dates to the 12th century and was the location of the hospital of St Mary Magdalen.

Simon Roffey, of the department of archaeology, said: "The people that lived at the hospital suffered from leprosy which disfigured their bodies and condemned them to a life of exile.

"It's quite a rare opportunity. When other medieval hospitals have been excavated elsewhere only a small part of them has been found, often because of urban sprawl. But we're lucky, this is a complete hospital."

The announcement by the university follows surveys over the last couple of months, which have revealed the extent of the hospital's remains. Archaeolo-gists also hope to learn more about the original Winchester to London road, which is thought to lie nearby.

Dr Roffey added: "The dig will be fascinating as relatively little is known about these foundations, compared with other monastic institutions."

After the hospital, the site - which is thought to be a couple of acres in size - became a prison for Dutchmen in the 17th century and more recently an Army base during the First World War. Excavations, though, will centre on the role of the leprosy hospital.

Dr Roffey said: "Lepers have been thought of as being people who society shunned and pushed away. But recent research has discovered that was not necessarily the case. This dig gives us an insight into how these people were viewed and how they lived."

The dig is expected to begin next summer and will form the basis of the university's training excavations for the next three years.

Dr Roffey has already approached the Discovery Centre about exhibiting findings from the project in 2009. He added: "We hope to involve the community and have open days and workshops and let people come and see what we have found."

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