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Original poster

With a human skull in the garden?

640 replies

Slippersandacuppa · 07/05/2016 20:45

Because I've never been in this situation before.

We've been tidying up the garden and have piles of rubble all over the place. One of our rickety old fences borders a graveyard (very old belonging to ancient church) and I'm assuming the skull sort of drifted under our fence and has been near the top of the soil for a while. I hope.

I've googled but can't seem to find much info. I'll be contacting the parish council on Monday but wondered if it warrants a call to 101 (or whatever it is) to register it just in case it's not a graveyard wanderer Confused

Anyone had a similar experience?!

OP posts:
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33
Palomb · 07/05/2016 21:09

I'd want to keep it if I found it in my garden but I'd call the police.. After all, where better to hide a body than a grave yard?

Sparklingbrook · 07/05/2016 21:06

Sir Tony Baldrick Robinson needs to get round and do some geo fizz pronto.

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 07/05/2016 21:06

dh, ex copper says to phone the rozzers

he also said to tell them you found it in the middle and you might get the whole garden dug over by SOCO.

Personally I'd have popped it in the dishwasher and set it on the shelf with my collection. FindersKeepers and all that.

StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine · 07/05/2016 21:06

Kirsty Allsopp would probably make it the centre of a flower arrangement.

With a human skull in the garden?
HookedOnHooking · 07/05/2016 21:05

Tor mind. I wondered that. Suicides, criminals etc. A bit sad.

TormundGiantsbabe · 07/05/2016 21:04

Sometimes people were not allowed to be buried inside the graveyard, but had to be buried outside its walls. So he might not be a wanderer, he might have always been there (and have friends nearby...). Would the church arrange a reburial in such circumstances I wonder - would his/her past 'crime' be forgiven now?

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/05/2016 21:03

this is the best thread on mn in ages!

Ouriana · 07/05/2016 21:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MyDobbygotgivenasock · 07/05/2016 21:03

If it's not illegal then you could set up quite a cottage industry, like Baldrick in Blackadder. Bit short on papal dispensations but saint's fingers, you're quids in Halo

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/05/2016 21:02

so it might be a saxon head? Shock

MaddyHatter · 07/05/2016 21:02

you can trade in human bones, not sure about permits or things though.

i have a friend who has an athame which has a handle made of human finger bone...

KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes · 07/05/2016 21:01

If no one claims it may I have it??

I fucking love skulls.

Ouriana · 07/05/2016 21:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NiceViper · 07/05/2016 21:00

I think it might be unethical to trade human body parts, if not illegal these days. Though heaven knows, enough people did it with mummified bits from Egypt.

But Slippersandacuppa how long have you lived there? What were the previous occupants like? Anyone gone missing in the last decade or so?

Hawkmoth · 07/05/2016 21:00

OYBBK I base my knowledge on Time Team and various ITV detective series!

MyDobbygotgivenasock · 07/05/2016 20:58

Well my Internet is so slow my post is redundant. There were no replies when I started.
I bet it will be interesting for the call handler as well!

Scarydinosaurs · 07/05/2016 20:58

😂😂😂 the idea you would want to keep it!!!

Sparklingbrook · 07/05/2016 20:58

I bet Kirsty Allsopp would have some ideas to give it a makeover and have it as a feature in your garden.

Original poster
Slippersandacuppa · 07/05/2016 20:57

No lobbing. DS' first question was whether he'd be allowed to show and tell it Grin

See, that's the thing. I assumed it would be criminal/ unethical/ unholy or something to own, buy or sell human bones but all the stuff I read on the web said it's not. Laws apply to human tissue. Bones are fair game Hmm

OP posts:
MaddyHatter · 07/05/2016 20:55

OYBBK, i was about to say.. i would hope if its skeletal its waaaay past the need to certify it dead...

MyDobbygotgivenasock · 07/05/2016 20:55

Not had a similar experience but it does seem quite clear cut.
I think I'd be tempted to call the non emergency police line or get your local number just to make sure that there's nothing special you need to do. The only reason I say that though is a great deal of experience with our parish council and I wouldn't trust them to know what to do with their own heads. Ymmv.

My huge experience of television tells me an appropriately qualified person will confirm it's all above board and you can hand it back to be decently attended to. I'll be interested to see replies from people in the know (because MN knows everything). That must have been a bit disconcerting for you Flowers

DinosaursRoar · 07/05/2016 20:54

I'm with ZZZZZ - it's not particularly normal to want to keep someone else's head.

Call the police. Don't suggest to them that you should be allowed to keep Yorick.

Original poster
Slippersandacuppa · 07/05/2016 20:54

This is the most exciting thing that's happened here since we had a baby song thrush last June.

We've already got archaeologists involved on the other side of the house as we're in an area of interest - Saxon settlements I think. They aren't due to start for a while though (extension happening soon).

We may just turn the whole place into a walk-over museum if they find anything interesting.

kitten Eldest child put it in a cardboard box before we realised what it was (it's incomplete) but it's back where it was now.

OP posts:
Thelastusername · 07/05/2016 20:54

I'd have lobbed it back over the fence op- after freaking out. That is a grim find.

However, rational thing is to report it.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/05/2016 20:53

hawkmoth, I'd hope that it is fairly evident that they are dead Grin