 Two suspected murder victims from the 13th Century have been found buried underneath the new Bullring. The skeletons of a middle-aged man and young woman were unearthed by archaeologists excavating the site during its £530 million redevelopment. The bodies were found underneath what would have been a floor or garden on Park Street, the site of the new Bullring car park next to Selfridges. They are just two of 857 corpses exhumed by a field archaeology team from Birmingham University. But the man and woman were the only ones found OUTSIDE graveyards at St Martins Parish Church, increasing speculation they were murder victims. Simon Buteux, the archaeologist who led the dig, said: Every now and then archaeological excavations turn up something very unexpected. This was the case on the Park Street excavations. In the northeast corner of the site two well-preserved human skeletons were found. The bodies had been buried in earth-cut graves, laid out on their backs with their hands folded across their stomachs. While human burials are not that uncommon on archaeological digs, from the medieval period onwards we would expect to find them in formal burial grounds, usually churchyards. When we find them under floors or in backyards we usually suspect foul play. Most of the exhumed Bullring bodies were from the 18th and 19th centuries. And the two suspected murders were not the only crimes the excavation team uncovered during their dig. The style of graves within St Martins churchyard during that time has led archaeologists to believe the site could have been targeted by body snatchers. Many of the burial sites were brick lined to provide protection against Burke and Hare-style criminals who would sell stolen bodies on to medics. Mr Buteux said: In the early 19th century the fear of body snatchers, the so-called resurrection men, was very real. Body snatching took place in order to supply fresh corpses to medical schools for anatomical study. It is not known how big a threat this would have been in Birmingham, but we know from contemporary accounts it occurred at the Cannon Street Baptist Chapel. The excavation also provided an insight into the health of Birminghams population during the Industrial Revolution. Those who died during this time did so while contributing to a world changing sociological phenomenon. The premature deaths of the pioneering Brummies led public officials to investigate more efficient city centre management methods, such as sewage works and slum clearances. The dig also revealed a high rate of infant mortality which affected the middle as well as the working classes. One grave contained the remains of a 19th century pharmacist and his wife and their eight children - none of whom survived longer than a few years. Rickets, developed from a lack of vitamin D, was rife among working class children, but not so common among middle classes. The vital vitamin, primarily derived from sunlight, was in poor supply in the smog-filled industrial city. Mr Buteux added: Air pollution from industry and domestic chimneys reached such appalling levels that at times it was sufficient to block out much of the sunlight. Another factor leading to rickets would have been the type of housing that many poor people would have lived in. Most working class people would have lived in tightly-packed housing with small dirty windows and dark alleyways running between properties. The conditions in many workshops would have been similar. A poor diet would also have exacerbated the problem, leading to the development of rickets in many children. As well as the bodies, the excavation also uncovered artefacts dating back to the very birth of the city when Peter de Birmingham bought his market charter in 1166. The human remains have since been reburied at Quinton Cemetery and St Martins. Mr Buteux is to discuss his findings at the British Association Festival of Science in Manchester tomorrow. He has also written a book, called Beneath the Bull Ring, which is now on sale at £14.95 detailing the archaeological discoveries. He will be signing copies at Borders bookshop in the Bullring on Tuesday. | 
