Collapse of 18th-century tomb reveals mysterious underground crypt

The sudden collapse of an 18th-century tomb in England has stunned archaeologists, revealing a mysterious crypt believed to belong to an ancient wealthy family.

An 18th-century tomb at All Saints Church in Martock, Somerset, England, recently collapsed unexpectedly. Initially, the church thought the tomb might have been swallowed by a sinkhole. Photo: Reverend Paul Fillery.

However, upon closer inspection, people realized that the newly collapsed tomb had been built over a secret crypt dug deep into the ground. This is an extremely rare occurrence. Photo: All Saints Church.

The collapse of the 18th-century tomb created a hole about 3.7m deep. Experts are yet to determine whether the incident has damaged any surrounding tombs or if there is a risk of a similar incident. Photo: All Saints Church.

Reverend Paul Fillery of Martock said that beneath the collapsed grave was a family vault dating back to around 1750. Above the vault was a box-shaped headstone with the names of those buried. Photo: David Bown/Wikimedia Commons.

According to Pastor Paul Fillery, this family crypt could have held up to four family members buried together. Photo: All Saints Church.

Pastor Paul Fillery added that erosion had played a role in the collapse of the upper tomb, noting that such an event was unusual. At the same time, it would also make it difficult to verify the identities of those buried inside the family crypt. Photo: RuralHistoria/Facebook.

The crypt appears to have been built for a wealthy, prominent family who lived in the area in the 18th century. Although the names of the deceased engraved on the tombstones are now hard to read and the church has yet to find any remains, they can only speculate about the identities of those buried inside. Photo: RuralHistoria/Facebook.

According to Reverend Paul Fillery, the people buried in the crypt are speculated to be the Pittard family, who once owned a thriving local leather business. The Pittard family were wealthy enough to afford a large crypt in the churchyard. Photo: Martock Parish Council.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Revealing lost civilizations through archaeological remains.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/mo-co-the-ky-18-sup-do-he-lo-ham-mo-bi-an-duoi-long-dat-post2149069466.html