The remains of a human skeleton discovered on a footpath on the north Cornish coast may have belonged to a shipwrecked sailor from the 18th or 19th centuries. The discovery at Trevone and overlooking Newtrain Bay, near Padstow, was made by a member of the public following erosion.
Police and forensic experts attended the scene and established the remains were historic and the find was passed to Cornwall Council. A bone specialist from the Cornwall archaeological unit carefully removed the skeleton for further investigations.
Ann Reynolds, from the council’s rural historic environment team, said: “The remains were located beside an area that is popular for memorial benches and floral tributes and were clearly visible within the coastal path. It was important to act swiftly, first to determine that they were archaeological in nature and then to carefully remove the remains, showing dignity to the deceased and to avoid any distress to visitors to the spot.”
