AROUND 200 people packed a public meeting to discuss the fate of the remains of 17th century Scottish soldiers discovered near Durham Cathedral.

A Durham University team announced last September that skeletons found in a mass grave behind Palace Green Library were the remains of between 17 and 28 Scottish soldiers who fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and were subsequently marched to Durham, where they were imprisoned and died.

A public meeting to discuss what should happen to the bones was held in Durham Castle on Monday night (February 1). A similar meeting was held in Dunbar last November.

Professor Chris Gerard, who leads the research team, said: “We would like to thank everybody who came and showed an interest in our work and for participating in what was a lively question and answer session.

“We will now be considering the impressive level of feedback gained over the last few months, including the views shared at our first public event in Dunbar in November, when making our decisions on what should happen next to the soldiers.”

An announcement is expected in the spring. For further details, visit durham.ac.uk/scottishsoldiers

The Battle of Dunbar saw the English Parliamentarian army, under the command of Oliver Cromwell, rout the Scottish Covenanters, who supported Charles II.

It is thought around 1,700 Scottish soldiers died of malnutrition, disease and cold after being marched more than 100 miles to Durham, where they were imprisoned. What happened to their bodies remained a mystery for almost 400 years.