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Baby found under floorboards may have died 300 years ago
TL;DR
A baby boy's skeleton, dubbed Baby Auckland, was discovered under floorboards in Bishop Auckland, potentially dating back 300 years. An inquest revealed he may have died between 1726 and 1812, but the cause of death remains unknown.
Key points
- Baby Auckland's skeleton found under floorboards
- Estimated to have died between 1726 and 1812
- Cause of death remains unknown
- Found during renovations in July 2024
- Wrapped in a newspaper from 1910
Baby AucklandBishop AucklandDurham Police
A baby boy whose skeleton was found beneath floorboards could have died up to 300 years ago, an inquest has heard, adding more mystery to what happened to him.
The baby, referred to in official documents as Baby Auckland, was found by contractors renovating a building on Fore Bondgate in Bishop Auckland in July 2024.
Opening an inquest in Crook, County Durham and Darlington senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield heard the baby was full-term but it was not clear if he had been stillborn.
A cause of death could not be ascertained but carbon dating suggested he lived sometime between 1726 and 1812, even though he was wrapped in a newspaper from 1910 and the property was built in the Victorian era.
A Durham Police officer told the coroner the force was contacted on 29 July 2024 after a contractor working on the building found a "small skeleton of a baby under the floorboards".
A post-mortem examination was carried out but the baby's cause of death was "unascertained", the coroner heard.
A DNA analysis revealed the baby was a boy but he could not be further identified.
The baby was estimated to be "full term neonatal" having had 38 to 40 weeks of development, the coroner heard, although it was "not possible to determine if he was stillborn".
A brown twine was found looped three times around the child's neck and the baby was wrapped in an edition of The Umpire newspaper from Sunday 19 June 1910, the inquest heard.
The coroner said carbon testing was done in several stages to work out when he lived.
The first phase involved determining if he predated the "nuclear age", which began in 1945 when the US first tested the atom bomb in New Mexico, the coroner heard.
Having confirmed he was older than that based on his radiation levels, further tests were done to narrow his age down further, with the "most likely date range" for the child's short life and death being between 1726 and 1812.
Durham Police and Durham County Council will work with a local undertaker to perform a funeral later this month, with the child to be buried in Bishop Auckland cemetery.
A full inquest will resume on 18 May.
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Q&A
What is the estimated age of Baby Auckland's skeleton?
Baby Auckland's skeleton is estimated to be between 1726 and 1812 years old.
Where was the baby skeleton found?
The baby skeleton was found under the floorboards of a building on Fore Bondgate in Bishop Auckland.
What did the inquest reveal about the cause of death?
The inquest could not determine the cause of death for Baby Auckland, who was found full-term.
