Medieval monk finds a new resting place (From Western Telegraph)

Medieval monk finds a new resting place

THE remains of a medieval monk - uncovered during the laying of water mains - were re-buried at Lower Priory, Milford Haven, on Thursday. Father Peter Allen, of St Francis Roman Catholic Church, Milford Haven, conducted the service in Latin.

The ceremony was an ancient one, used by the Roman Catholic Church since the 9th century until about 27 years ago.

"When the monk was originally buried, exactly the same prayers and the same words in Latin would have been said over his grave," said Father Allen.

"People cried when he died. He had parents, he had brothers and sisters. And he was buried with much love and dignity. It's quite fitting that we should re-bury him with dignity," he added.

Some 40 people attended the funeral of the unknown monk, including the crew from Laing Utilities, which discovered the remains.

Site foreman 'Toad' Tipper-Evans explained why he and his team attended the funeral. "We disturbed his grave and removed him from his resting place. So we thought it only right that we came to see him put back," he said.

The monk now lies in the garden of Mr and Mrs Richardson, who own the Priory - originally built and founded as a monastery in the 12th century. They thought the monk should be buried in their garden, close to his original resting place, rather than in the cemetery.