Uncovering mass grave of the Dunbar martyrs

Further to your report "Campaign to honour 'Dunbar martyrs'" (15 February), when a central heating system was being installed in Durham's Cathedral Music School in 1946, the trench for pipes cut into a mass grave. The cathedral authorities at the time concluded it was that of the Scots soldiers. Indeed, in The Scottish Prisoners from Dunbar Held in Durham Cathedral by John A Cole (cathedral librarian) in 1991, there is comment on the finding of this "

Further, as regards the exact number of Scots who died at Durham, we have evidence, in a letter to the English Parliament of 31 October, 1650, from Sir Arthur Haselrigge MP.

Haselrigge, whom Cromwell had put in charge of the Scots prisoners, states that "of the 3,000 prisoners that my officers told (put for imprisonment] into the Cathedral Church at Durham… about 1,600 are dead and buried".

As the then English government had an expectation of the number which could be sold into bonded labour, Haselrigge had to be as exact as possible in this estimation.

GEORGE WILSON

Dunbar

East Lothian