Bishop Auckland baby skeleton could date back to 1700s

But mystery surrounds how the infant, potentially 300 years old, was found wrapped in a 1910-dated newspaper. Questions also remain over whether the baby was stillborn and how it died.

The remains, confirmed as male by DNA profiling, were found under the floorboards of a Fore Bondgate property by contractors in July 2024.

An inquest opened into the death of the child at Crook Coroners’ Court today (April 14) heard the baby was full term, but it was not possible to determine whether it was stillborn.

Coroner’s officer Stephanie Clough said the baby had been found with twine looped around it three times, with a knot and a further loop.

It was found wrapped in newspaper called The Umpire, which was dated June 19, 1910.

Carbon dating, which was used to determine the age of the baby by measuring the amount of carbon-14 there is left, shows they were born before 1945, in the pre nuclear era.

Ms Clough said it could not determine exactly when the baby was alive but it is believed that this was some time between 1726 and 1812.

(Image: TERRY BLACKBURN)

A post-mortem carried out on August 2 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle saw the baby’s cause of death identified as unascertained.

The baby’s funeral will be held at April 27 in Bishop Auckland. Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield adjourned the inquest until May 18.

(Image: TERRY BLACKBURN)

Crime scene investigators were pictured at the flat in 2024, where the baby was believed to have remained undisturbed since the early 20th century. 

Officers confirmed at the time that the baby was full term at the time and that the circumstances surrounding its death are likely to have been suspicious. 

As the investigation was launched by police, officers said they would be tracing historic records for the Victorian-era property to identify who lived there. 

At one stage, the building housed a church-run mother-and-baby unit, although it was initially believed that the baby was concealed before then.