Samantha Buckthought of Wolferstans LLP was appointed as a deputy by the Court of Protection to manage the property and financial affairs of a person, who due to incapacity, required the firm’s specialised assistance.
As part of this process, the firm facilitated the sale of its client’s home. This ensured that the client’s transition from personal residence to care home was seamless and stress-free, whilst helping them realise their future needs.
An Unusual Discovery
During the course of managing the client’s possessions, Wolferstans Associate and Chartered Legal Executive, Abbie Taylor, and Solicitor Chloe Burborough, made an intriguing discovery: a large collection of bones. Even to the untrained eye, some of these bones appeared to be human, which required immediate action to be taken.
Acting responsibly, the solicitors reported the findings to the local police, who arranged for the bones to be removed for examination by a fossil expert. This specialist confirmed that the bones were a collection of archaeological significance rather than possessing any criminal interest and the bones were returned.
Abbie liaised with the team from a local museum to understand the importance of these bones. The expert assessment undertaken, revealed that the bones were from two archaeological excavations, likely Roman in origin, comprising both human and animal remains as well as a small amount of ceramic material.
However, the museum decided it could not take custody of the remains due to the extensive and costly work required to curate them for exhibition, including identifying from where they came.
Academic Collaboration
Undeterred and demonstrating admirable determination, Abbie reached out to the Department of Archaeology and Conservation at Cardiff University and explained the bones’ provenance. Understanding the assessment already made by the museum and recognising their educational value, the University was delighted to accept the bones and ceramic material.
The Department of Archaeology and Conservation at Cardiff University offered to take custody of the bones, without charging the law firm’s client for their services. Happily, the bones will now play a crucial role in research and teaching through their analyses. In fact, archaeology students are already working on identifying which site the remains may be from, with an aim of repatriating them with the rest of their site if possible. Students will also gain training in analysing the human and animal bones and pottery over the course of this identification, potentially contributing to dissertations.
By ensuring that the bones were handled with respect and finding an academic home for them, Wolferstans achieved a positive, if unexpected, result for their client.
The firm’s client avoided the typical costs associated with disposing of the bones, which would have been high given the quantity of bones and the requirement to cremate or bury human remains.
Thanks to the dedication of the individuals involved, what began as an unusual find for the Court of Protection team, ended with these historic artefacts now contributing to future knowledge and education.