Two ancient skeletons have been discovered in a 'lost' chapel by archaeologists, who say the couple were unearthed holding hands and have been for at least 700 years. 
 
 The remains of a man and woman were found with fingers entwined at the Chapel of St Morrell, an ancient site of pilgrimage in Hallaton. 
 
 The dig, by Hallaton Fieldwork Group volunteers, has been taking place over four years. 
 
 Leading the project is archaeologist Vicky Score from the University of Leicester. 
 
 Carbon-dating on the nine skeletons uncovered since the dig began had revealed them to be from the 14th century, she told the Leicester Mercury. 
 
 It is believed the pair holding hands are of a similar age. The skeletons have been removed to the university for further investigation. 
 
 Score said some of the nine skeletons had stones placed on top of their bodies. "This was a tradition popular in eastern Europe with the idea of keeping the dead down," she said. 
 
 "What makes the discovery of the medieval chapel doubly exciting is to find the remains of a previous Roman building underneath it," she said. 
 
 "It shows this ground has been used as a special sort of place by people for at least 2,000 years." 
 
 The archaeologist was hoping it would eventually fill in the gap between the Roman and medieval periods. "We are missing about 500 years," she said. "We don't know what happened here during that time." 
 
 The earliest mention of the chapel in Hallaton was in a will of 1532. The chapel was located after research by local historian John Morrison. 
 
 He said: "Antiquarians over the ages have referred to a chapel somewhere in Hallaton." 
 
 it's believed that Hallaton was a special site where the sick came to be cured. In 1622, a writer was noting that within living memory "multitudes came to Hallaton chapel to be cured". 
 
 Historian William Burton mentions in 1641 that "Halloughton...a place of special holiness so as sick folks did use to flock thither to die." 
 
 One skeleton found there, an older male was killed by a sharp implement such as a pole axe to the head, presumably in battle. Another young male was buried in a pit with his legs raised to his chest – possibly the result of a disease. 
 
 The oldest embracing couple found so far date back around 3,000 years. Two ancient skeletons were found in each other's arms in a grave in the Turkish province of Diyarbakir. 
 
 "The way they were buried signifies that they were lovers," archaeologist Halil Tekin told the Anatolia news agency. "An illness or even a crime of love may have been the cause of their deaths." ||||| Father of three jailed after man hit on head with metal... 
 
 Pictures were released today by the University of Leicester, showing two 1,000-year-old skeletons holding hands, which have been discovered. 
 
 The pair of skeletons, which are centuries-old and holding hands have been uncovered at a ‘lost’ chapel by archaeologists. 
 
 The Mercury reported last week that the remains, of a man and a woman, were found at the Chapel of St Morrell, an ancient site of pilgrimage in Hallaton. 
 
 It is believed the pair holding hands are of a similar age. 
 
 Related content Two 1,000-year-old skeletons holding hands found by archaeologists in Leicestershire 
 
 Leading the project is professional archaeologist Vicky Score, of the University of Leicester, who works on the project during her holidays. 
 
 She said carbon-dating on nine skeletons uncovered since the dig began had revealed them to be from the 14th century. 
 
 “'We have seen similar skeletons before from Leicester where a couple has been buried together in a single grave. The main question we find ourselves asking is why were they buried up there?” she added. 
 
 “There is a perfectly good church in Hallaton. This leads us to wonder if the chapel could have served as some sort of special place of burial at the time.” 
 
 The dig, by Hallaton Fieldwork Group volunteers, has been taking place for two weeks a year for the past four years. 
 
 As well as the touching skeletal union, the walls and tiled floor of the chapel as well as fragments of stone, wall plaster and led from the windows. 
 
 A number of silver pennies dating between the 12th and 16th centuries were also been found on the site indicating when the chapel was in use. 
 
 The team believe the chapel may have been an area of pilgrimage. Alternatively, the bodies might have been refused burial in the main church, perhaps because they were criminals, foreigners or sick. 
 
 A total of 11 skeletons have been excavated so far, all orientated east-west in the Christian tradition and radiocarbon dated to the 14th century. 
 
 Roman archaeology found beneath the medieval chapel suggests that the hilltop, which is the starting point for the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking, has been a special place for over 2000 years. 
 
 The skeletons have been removed to the university for further investigation. 
 
 The chapel was located after research by local historian John Morrison. 
 
 He said: “Antiquarians over the ages have referred to a chapel somewhere in Hallaton. 
 
 “It was a case of piecing evidence together and then getting in geo-physicists to take images of the land from above to locate the spot for our dig.” ||||| Archaeologists with the University of Leicester uncovered remains of two skeletons holding hands believed to have been resting that way for at least 700 years. 
 
 University of Leicester Archaeological Services has so far excavated 11 skeletons, dated to the 14th century by radiocarbon, under the "lost chapel of St. Morell," which overlooks the small village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England. 
 
 ULAS 
 
 The archaeologists, who said there are likely to be more skeletons in the ground, were not certain why the people were buried there rather than in the main church in the village. They said it was possibly a special place of burial for pilgrims. 
 
 ULAS 
 
 Among the other skeletons was an older male apparently killed by a sharp implement, such as a pole axe, to the head, according to Vicki Score, project manager for University of Leicester Archaeological Services. A young male was buried in a pit with his legs raised to his chest, which archaeologists said was possibly the result of a disease, she said.
– Archaeologists in England digging at a 14th-century burial site made an unexpected discovery: A couple buried together holding hands had remained that way all this time, reports ABC News. The man and woman were found at the site of an ancient chapel in Hallaton, along with nine other skeletons, reports the Leicester Mercury. The couple appear to be the same age, but scientists plan further study to see whether they can determine the cause of death. They also hope to determine why the bodies were buried at this particular site, quite a distance away from a "perfectly good church in Hallaton," says a lead researcher from the University of Leicester. Leading theories are that the burial site was used for those who were either sick, criminals, or foreign pilgrims. One man at the site apparently died of a head wound, perhaps from a pole ax in battle, while another had his legs raised to his chest, possibly because of a disease of some kind. Researchers hope further work at the chapel can fill in a gap of about 500 years when not much is known about what went on in the region, reports the International Business Times. (Another recent archaeological discovery sheds light on the brutal way Richard III died.)