Archaeologists and local volunteers will begin a new excavation on South Common to uncover the medieval Hospital of the Holy Innocents. Backed by a £248,139 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant and led by Anglia Ruskin University alongside City of Lincoln Council, the three-year project explores the history of early English leprosaria.
A lost chapter of medieval history is coming back to light in Lincoln.
The initiative, titled Hidden Histories Unearthed, operates as a three-year community archaeology project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. City authorities and academic partners secured £248,139 for the investigation, which builds upon preliminary work conducted last year.
Reassessing Medieval Leprosy and Life at the Hospital of the Holy Innocents
Popular imagination often paints a grim picture of how medieval society treated those afflicted with leprosy. Historians and scientists note that this perception is largely anachronistic.
Instead of harsh isolation or destitution, institutions like the Lincoln leprosarium may have offered a stable, orderly environment for their residents. Dr Samantha Tipper remarked that places like this may have been nice religious communities and a lovely place to live… apart from the leprosy.
Founded around the late 11th to early 12th century—potentially during the reign of Henry I—the Hospital of the Holy Innocents stood as one of the earliest and largest leprosaria in England. The facility is believed to have remained active for five centuries, housing an estimated 20 residents split evenly between 10 men and 10 women.
Pilot Test Pits and the Groundwork for Larger Trenches
The upcoming excavations follow a successful pilot undertaken last year. During that preliminary phase, more than 100 volunteers ranging in age from four to 85 excavated 41 test pits across South Common. Those small-scale digs turned up tangible traces of boundary walls, building surfaces, and medieval pottery linked to the hospital complex.
Because English leprosarias rarely adhered to a standard architectural design, archaeologists are eager to open wider trenches this season. Researchers intend to go back and look at those walls and open up a trench where they were found, according to project leaders.
Wealth, Privilege, and Daily Routine in the Middle Ages
Far from being impoverished shelters, research suggests the Lincoln hospital operated with substantial financial resources. Historical indicators point to a remarkably comfortable lifestyle for those admitted.
“It was actually quite a wealthy place, a lovely religious community. It was almost a privilege if you got in. You had your own cell, plenty of fresh vegetables and meat. It would have been a calm and peaceful way of life, which is quite different from how people tend to imagine those living with leprosy in medieval England.”
Samantha Tipper, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at Anglia Ruskin University, via Yahoo
Leprosy itself is a chronic infectious disease affecting the skin, peripheral nerves, skeleton, and mucous membranes, ultimately resulting in white patches, numbness, muscular weakness, and paralysis. While historical hospitals were established amid widespread anxiety over contagion, the daily reality for residents inside South Common appears to have prioritized structured communal care.
Community Involvement and the Three-Year Outlook
The multi-year venture incorporates extensive public outreach, including local history café talks, heritage activities, and direct participation from local volunteers, university students, and area schools. Organizers emphasize that grassroots engagement remains central to the project’s mission.
According to Councillor Rebecca Longbottom, portfolio holder for remarkable place at City of Lincoln Council, such collaborations serve to animate the past, foster civic pride, and make our collective history available to all.
With field operations starting on Friday, the team will spend the coming years analyzing artifacts, mapping structural remains, and deepening public awareness of a site that remained visible on local maps into the 19th century before fading from everyday memory.