Medieval leprosy hospital uncovered in Lincoln
Archaeologists from Time Team have uncovered the remains of a medieval leprosy hospital in Lincoln, England. The site, known as the Hospital of the Holy Innocents, dates back to the 11th or 12th century and features evidence of individual housing units.
Why it matters
This discovery provides rare physical evidence of medieval healthcare and social structures for those suffering from leprosy.
Image caption, Lincoln Funfair is now held on the South Common twice a year
The walls of what is thought to be one of medieval England's earliest and largest leprosy hospitals have been uncovered in Lincoln by Time Team archaeologists.
A three-day dig started on Friday on the South Common at the site of the Hospital of the Holy Innocents, which housed up to 20 people with leprosy around the late 11th to early 12th Centuries.
Time Team's Prof Carenza Lewis said they had found traces of square features where it is thought people were housed, which "haven't been excavated before, anywhere".
The dig marks the beginning of a three-year project backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The remains of the building were found last year during a Local Landscapes and Hidden Histories project.
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