Skeletons unearthed at a site in Calderdale have shed light into life more than 200 years ago.

The grisly remains were exhumed from their resting place at Square Chapel graveyard, with some dating back to 1772.

The dig took place following a decision to build a new access road on the site as part of the Piece Hall transformation project.

Some 217 skeletons were found, with 203 sent off for tests to reveal secrets about our ancestors’ lifestyles.

The gruesome discovery of one set of bones raised eyebrows, as the top of its skull was sliced off.

Skeletons exhumed from Square Chapel in Halifax
Skeletons exhumed from Square Chapel in Halifax

The bones, belonging to a young woman, would have been subject to an autopsy which archaeologists say was rare at the time.

Experts studying the remains also found that women outnumbered men in the area, but were more likely to die young.

And despite findings showing most had a healthy diet, dental tests proved little had changed when it comes to our love of sugar.

The skeletons’ decayed teeth revealed a diet high in the sweet stuff was common for Halifax residents.

David Williams, Excavation Manager at Archaeological Services WYAS, led the dig.

He said: “Coming face to face with perhaps some of the people who helped define Halifax in the late 18th and 19th centuries was a real honour and privilege.”

The Square Chapel for the Arts
The Square Chapel for the Arts

The dig was part of a £19million project funded by Calderdale Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The burials date from 1772 to the early 1860s and included 132 adults and 71 children.

The council have since reinterred the bones at Stoney Royd Cemetery.