Trevone beach bones thought to be from shipwrecked sailor

Bones found after being unveiled by coastal erosion on the Cornish coast were probably from a shipwrecked sailor, say archaeologists.

Analysis of the the bones found near Trevone in 2022 suggest the body was from the 18th Century, the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) said.

The unit also said a skull found during a beach clean at Sennen in Cornwall in 2023 was about 3,300 years old.

The discoveries are the latest human remains found on the coast.

Ann Reynolds, senior officer for the rural historic environment at Cornwall Council said the Trevone discovery was of a man aged between 25 and 40 years old.

"The bones suggest that the individual had done a lot of very heavy manual labour, like pulling and hauling, suggesting that they had very well-developed upper body muscle," she said.

"These activity-related changes to the back of the head, shoulders and upper arms are consistent with an active lifestyle involving persistent use of the arms/shoulders and fit with the theory that this was a shipwrecked mariner.

"Some activity-related wear to the teeth may also be consistent with a sailing lifestyle as there is a suggestion of repeated holding of cord/rope in their mouth from wear patterns on the teeth.

"In all, the evidence is as good as we will ever get to suggest that this was indeed an 18th Century shipwrecked sailor."

Only the skull remained of the Sennen body but radiocarbon dating had placed this individual "firmly into the Middle Bronze Age", she said.

"We cannot tell much more due to the limited survival of the bones, but it might be male and of around middle age."

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