The bones of up to 11 children, dumped in a mass grave after they may have fallen victim to the plague, are to be given a Christian burial more than 400 years after they died.

The remains of the youngsters were discovered beneath the floor of the Old Deanery, in the shadow of Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, ahead of a refurbishment which has seen the building converted into a three-star hotel.

Before contractors could remove a single nail, the Old Deanery's standing as a scheduled monument meant archaeologists had to dig beneath to establish if the work would disturb any ancient relics.

The skeleton of a grown man was unearthed first, but could not be removed because half the body was beneath the walls of the building.

Instead, a floating platform had to be built over the remains of the man, who became affectionately known as Henry, guarding his bones against possible damage. As the dig went deeper, the remains of the children were found and removed for closer examination.

"We have been told the research suggests they were all under 15 when they died and disease seems the most likely cause," said the manager of the new Deanery Hotel, Linda Mercer.

"As they were found together, it's possible they were in a mass grave, which could suggest they died of the plague, but we cannot say that for sure.''

Ms Mercer said there was talk of ghosts haunting the old building when work began on the conversion, but she said she had never seen anything she could describe as paranormal.

"In fact, we grew quite fond of Henry," she said. "Before the work was finished we had quite a few people travel just to see him."

The children's bones have now been returned to Ripon and the Dean of Ripon, the Very Reverend John Methuen, has confirmed plans for a burial, although it may be some time before a ceremony can be arranged.

"The cathedral is over a thousand years old so we can't just start digging wherever we like. The bones are being kept in a secure vault in controlled conditions to prevent further decay but, eventually, we would hope to bury them," he said.

"The remains were found on the north side of the cathedral, which, in ancient times, was regarded as the place of the devil.

"Suicides, people who had been excommunicated or convicted of serious crimes would be buried there or victims of massacres by the Vikings or Scots.

"However, I understand these bones showed no signs of trauma so perhaps the plague is the most likely explanation."