Cambridge students unearth Viking-era 'execution pit'

[Judi Lynn]

A burial pit containing dismembered bodies suggests execution or warfare in Cambridgeshire’s Saxon–Viking borderlands

by Fred Lewsey
13 February 2026
in Cambridgeshire,
Reading Time: 9 mins

The aftermath of a battle or execution from around the 9th century AD has been discovered by Cambridge University archaeologists and students conducting a training dig as part of the University’s undergraduate degree in archaeology.

The burial pit, found on the outskirts of Cambridge, may date from a time when the area was a “frontier zone” in the conflict between the Saxon-run kingdom of Mercia and the kingdom of East Anglia, which was conquered by the Vikings in around 870 AD (CE).

Unearthed during spring and summer last year, the pit contained the remains of ten individuals based on the number of skulls, including at least one decapitation and a man well over six foot in stature – extremely tall for the time – with a trepanned head.

Unusually, the mass grave held a mix of complete and dismembered remains, including a cluster of skulls without clear accompanying bodies and a “stack of legs”, as well as four complete skeletons, some in positions suggesting they were tied up.

All appear to have been relatively young men flung into the pit without care, leading archaeologists to believe they found the wake of a skirmish or battle, or perhaps a mass execution – or a combination of both. The discovery is showcased in an episode of the BBC’s ‘Digging for Britain’.

More:
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/history/cambridge-students-unearth-viking-era-execution-pit/