Britain's 'earliest hospital' discovered
Radio carbon analysis of site in Winchester provides date range of AD 960-1030 – preceding Norman conquest.A number of other artefacts, pits, and postholes relate to the same time, including what appears to be a large sunken structure underneath a medieval infirmary.
Most historians and archaeologists had believed hospitals in Britain only dated from after the Norman conquest of 1066.
"This is an important archaeological development," said Dr Simon Roffey from the University of Winchester, which conducted the dig.
"Historically, it has always been assumed that hospitals were a post-conquest phenomenon, the majority founded from the late 11th century onwards.
"However, our excavations have revealed a range of buildings and, more significantly, convincing evidence for a foundation in the 10th century.
"Our excavations at St Mary Magdalen offer an intriguing insight into a little known aspect of the history of both Winchester and England. It is undoubtedly a site of national importance."
Among the earliest known hospitals in the UK is Harbledown in Canterbury, founded by Lanfranc in the 1070s, following the Norman conquest.
Professor Nicholas Orme, a leading researcher on medieval hospitals, added: "I have only studied the documentary evidence but I could not find any such evidence for a hospital before 1066 except perhaps as an activity within a monastery or minster.
"A late Anglo-Saxon hospital would surely be a first for archaeology and indeed for history."
Winchester was the capital of England throughout a large part of the Anglo-Saxon period and after the Norman conquest. The capital was moved to London from the Hampshire city in the 12th century.
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