500-year-old skeleton found in London with his boots on

A man’s skeleton, dating back around 500 years, has been discovered in the River Thames with his thigh-high leather boots still intact.

Archaelogists unearthed the medieval skeleton while working on London’s new “super sewer tunnel in Bermondsey. To understand how the man’s boots have survived years of harsh conditions, the team will be investigating further.

It is believed he may have been under the age of 35 at the time of his death and may have been “a fisherman, a mudlark or perhaps a sailor,” the archaelogists added.

“By studying the boots we’ve been able to gain a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a man who lived as many as 500 years ago,” said Beth Richardson, Finds Specialist at MOLA Headland.

The booted man was discovered on the banks of the River Thames, a hazardous place in the late 15th and early 16th century.

“They have helped us to better understand how he may have made his living in hazardous and difficult conditions, but also how he may have died. It has been a privilege to be able to study something so rare and so personal,” Richardson added.