Archaeologists discover remains of medieval knight with extensive jousting injuries

A study of the bones of 700 people unearthed at Hereford Cathedral in England has shown that one may have been a medieval knight. Archaeologists noted many broken bones, some knitted, on the skeleton of a man whose remains were unearthed. They believe the man may have sustained the injuries jousting.

The cathedral’s graveyard was excavated from 2009 to 2011. Other skeletal remains drew the notice of scholars: Was one woman’s hand severed because she was a thief? Was the man suffering from leprosy buried around the same time that the bishop of Hereford suffered from the same disease? The skeletons date from the Norman Conquest of 1066 A.D. to the 19^th century.

BBC History Magazine did a biography in February 2015 of one of the people, believed to be the knight. The title of the piece is Into the Bloody World of the Medieval Tournament.

The online British Archaeology News Resource describes the injuries:

The skeletal remains show numerous fractures, however, their location is distinctive and localized, all to ribs and the shoulder on the right side. Some of these had healed others had not, showing they were caused on more than one occasion. The unhealed injuries in the same location indicated that at death he had not recovered from his latest wounds. He also had an unusual twisting break to his left lower leg. The suggestion is a hit to the right upper body, which spins the individual and causes a further fracture as perhaps his foot is caught in a stirrup on the left side.  These wounds are all consistent with injuries that can be sustained through tourney or jousting.