In a flurry of anticipation, a team of archaeologists are preparing to uncover a piece of Lincoln’s forgotten history. The group is set to excavate a medieval hospital, or leprosarium, where individuals stricken with leprosy once sought refuge. ‘The anticipation is palpable,’ says Ms Sam Tipper, a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. She, along with volunteers from Bishop Grosseteste University and the University of Lincoln, will be dusting off their trowels in the hopes of unearthing a crucial part of Lincolnshire’s heritage. The South Common site, Tipper states, is ‘an untold chapter of our past that deserves to be brought to light.’ The leprosarium, known as ‘the hospital of the holy innocence,’ was a sanctuary for those afflicted with leprosy, a condition believed at the time to be a form of ‘earthly purgatory.’ Despite its grim associations, Tipper insists that the institution was a beacon of compassion, where patients were cared for and even revered for their perceived closeness to divinity. The dig, scheduled for two weekends in July, is expected to reveal structures linked to the leprosarium, potentially including a chapel. ‘Every find will mark a new discovery,’ Tipper assures. Volunteers are warmly invited to contribute to this venture into Lincolnshire’s past.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.
