A resident of Ancaster, Lincolnshire, got more than he bargained for when undertaking garden landscaping last year. Nick Routledge, 43, uncovered human remains in March 2025, leading to a dramatic turn of events that saw his home taped off by police and treated as a potential crime scene.
Mr Routledge recounted the shock of the discovery, describing how he immediately contacted his mother. "I panicked and I phoned my mum," he said. "I was like, mum, mum, I swear we've dug up a skeleton." Police, including CID officers, arrived within minutes of receiving images of the bones. The situation escalated rapidly, with officers declaring it an "out of place burial" and informing Mr Routledge and his wife they had ten minutes to pack a suitcase before evacuating their home. Forensic teams in white suits swiftly arrived, erecting tents and cordoning off the property.
For three days, Mr Routledge and his wife stayed with his mother while the investigation unfolded. He described how his cousin, Chris, was operating a digger when the bones were found at a depth of approximately 1.4 metres. The initial discovery of a femur quickly led to the uncovering of other bones, including shin bones and part of a hip. Items found alongside the remains, such as pottery fragments and oyster shells, were crucial in helping archaeologists date the skeleton.
The Roman era in Britain spanned roughly 400 years, from the 1st to the 5th centuries. Ancaster itself was a significant Roman town situated on Ermine Street, a major north-south thoroughfare in the east of what is now England. Lincolnshire Police confirmed that archaeologists conducted a thorough assessment of both the bones and the surrounding soil before definitively classifying the remains as ancient. The bones were later reburied in a cemetery in Wilsford, a decision Mr Routledge expressed some disappointment about, having hoped for their reinterment in their original location.
Despite the initial alarm and disruption, Mr Routledge views the experience as a remarkable story. When asked if he anticipates finding further Roman remains, he remarked, "Who knows? Is it just a random burial, or is there more? I don't know. Doesn't bother me if there is – it's a good story to tell."