A HISTORIAN'S call to bring the bones of Scottish soldiers who died in captivity after the Battle of Dunbar brought back home has seen a surge of support.

George Wilson is campaigning to have the centuries-old remains uncovered in pits near Durham Cathedral repatriated to Scotland, and has launched a petition that has almost reached its target of 500 signatures.

The remains of around Scots taken prisoner after the battle are believed to lie in the grounds of the Cathedral, where they were imprisoned after being captured by Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army.

The Herald: Removing the bones is a painstaking process. Copyright/credit: North News & Pictures / Durham University Removing the bones is a painstaking process. Copyright/credit: North News & Pictures / Durham University

By law the bones must be reinterred once archaeologists have finished studying them, and Mr Wilson believes that their final resting place should be in the land of their birth.

The campaigner, who previously arranged to have a plaque commemorating the Scots dead erected at Durham Cathedral, compared the discovery to that of the recent uncovering and reburial of King Richard III, whose remains were found underneath a car park in Leicester and later entombed in the city's cathedral.

He said: "I launched the petition to gauge opinion on repatriation of the remains and reburial at an appropriate site in Scotland.

"In similarity to the remains of the English king, this would involve exhumation and reburial at an appropriate alternative site.

"The petition, now with several hundred supporters, contains comments that appear overwhelming in their view that as the Scots were captured whilst defending Scotland from an invading army and whether Royalist, Covenantor or not, they should be brought home to Scotland for re-burial."

The skeletons were discovered during a dig at the Cathedral at the site of what was thought to be a medieval cemetery, but was later revealed to be a mass grave of Scots who most likely died of disease, cold or malnutrition following the long forced march south.

Radiocarbon tests on the jumbled remains of between 17 and 28 people has led to the conclusion that they were Scottish soldiers aged between 13 and 25, and it is believed that many may lie nearby.

The Battle of Dunbar in 1650 was one of the bloodiest of the 17th century's Civil Wars, and saw Oliver Cromwell's troops win a devastating victory against Scottish supporters of Charles II.

Around 1,700 prisoners were taken after the battle and marched south to be imprisoned in Durham, and those who did not die during captivity were later transported to plantations in the Caribbean to work as indentured labourers.

The Herald: The bones are being studied by staff at Durham University The bones are being studied by staff at Durham University

Mr Wilson said: "Those who perished were 'Jock Tamson’s bairns'. It is with near genealogical certainty that some reading this newspaper and within present day Scotland will be directly related to those that perished at Durham.

"Indeed, a privilege of earlier campaigning was to be contacted by so many descendants of survivors of Durham who had been sold by their captors as slaves in the "New World'.

The Herald: Analysis of this man's bones show he was a pipe smoker Analysis of this man's bones show he was a pipe smoker

The University of Durham has begun talks on the final fate of the remains with interested parties, and said that a decision would be made a later date.

Professor David Cowling, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Durham University, said: “Durham University, with Durham Cathedral, is committed to working with interested parties and organisations to determine what will happen to the remains of the Scottish soldiers and we are already engaging with them.

“The soldiers will eventually need to be reburied according to the terms of the exhumation licence issued by the Ministry of Justice. As currently formulated this licence requires reinterment in the nearest active burial ground.

“If considered appropriate we may seek to vary the terms of the licence for reburial elsewhere and to allow time for important further research which would cast more light on the lives and deaths of these individuals.”