Researcher Claims Alfred the Great’s Lost Burial Site Lies Beneath Modern Parking Lot in England
More than a decade after the discovery of King Richard III’s remains beneath a Leicester parking lot, a British historian and author claims to have located the lost burial site of another English monarch, Alfred the Great. Alfred, who ruled Wessex from 871 to 899, is renowned for defending his kingdom against Viking invasions, notably defeating Viking leader Guthrum at the Battle of Edington in 878, and for advancing education, law, and governance. Despite his historical significance as a key figure in the formation of a unified England, the exact location of his grave has remained a mystery.
Alfred was originally buried in Winchester Cathedral upon his death in 899. His remains were reportedly moved in 1110 to Hyde Abbey, where he was interred near the main altar alongside his wife and son. However, the abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, leaving the site in ruins. In 1866, during construction of a shelter on the site, bones believed at the time to be Alfred’s were found and reburied nearby at St. Bartholomew’s Church. Carbon dating in 2013 revealed these bones were from a period at least 200 years later than Alfred’s lifetime.
Historian Graham Phillips, who has spent 13 years searching for Alfred’s lost grave, argues that the true remains were relocated again in the late 18th century. He cites an 1800 document by historian Henry Howard describing how prisoners working in the gardens near a prison built on the abbey grounds found bones and reburied them close by. Phillips believes these bones belong to Alfred and his family and that the burial site lies about 18 meters from the current marker in the garden of the former Hyde Abbey.
Phillips plans to reveal the exact location on the British TV program Weird Britain. He notes the striking similarity to Richard III’s discovery, as both kings’ remains may be hidden beneath parking lots. However, this claim remains unverified by scientific analysis. Confirming the identity of the bones would require excavation, osteological examination, carbon dating, and possibly genetic or historical comparison. Until then, Alfred’s burial site remains an archaeological enigma involving a lost king, a destroyed monastery, historical records, and a modern parking lot potentially concealing a significant chapter of English history.
