The Tower of London already has enough historical baggage to make a casual visit feel heavy. Crown jewels. Executions. Imprisoned royals. Now you can add plague victims buried beneath one of its most famous chapels to the list.
Archaeologists working near the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula have uncovered the remains of more than 20 previously unknown individuals during a rare excavation on the Tower grounds. Some of the skeletons appear to date back to the 14th century. They might be linked to plague outbreaks that swept through London during the medieval period, according to Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that manages the site.
The dig is the first major archaeological excavation at the Tower in more than 30 years, and the first ever in this specific area. It was triggered by a modern problem with an old solution. Plans to install a new elevator to improve access to the 500-year-old chapel required a full archaeological assessment under UK law. Once the ground opened, history followed.
Plague Victims Found Among More Than 20 Skeletons Beneath the Tower of London
“Undertaking these two excavations has provided us with a generational opportunity to enhance our understanding of the evolution of the Chapel of Saint Peter ad Vincula, and the buildings which stood before it,” said Alfred Hawkins, Curator of Historic Buildings at Historic Royal Palaces.
Among the burials are several clusters that suggest emergency interments, including a group of individuals believed to have been buried quickly during a plague episode. These weren’t ceremonial burials meant to be remembered. They were functional, necessary, and urgent, which helps explain what life and death looked like during outbreaks in a medieval society.
Other finds complicate the picture. Four burials from the 12th or 13th century were placed in coffins, which was highly unusual at the time and likely signals elevated social status. Archaeologists also recovered rare grave goods, including fragments of burial shrouds and pots containing charcoal. Items like these rarely survive, and they almost never appear together.
The site itself is also telling its own story. Beneath the graves, researchers found evidence of earlier structures, including charred remains from a chapel built under Edward I in the 1280s that burned down in 1512. Even deeper layers hint at construction dating back to Henry III’s rebuilding efforts in the 13th century.
“We’re already gaining insight into the residents of the Tower in a way we have never been able to do before,” said Jane Sidell, an archaeologist with Historic England. “But this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Excavation at the site is continuing, and more burials may still be found. Researchers will now begin the slow work of analysis to better understand the people who lived and died within the Tower’s walls.
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