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Seven-year-old's discovery on Cornish coast leads to suspected 18th-century shipwreck burial site
A seven-year-old boy's discovery of human teeth on the Cornish coast in August 2025 has led archaeologists to a suspected 18th-century burial site linked to the Royal Anne Galley shipwreck of 1721. Excavations have uncovered remains of around a dozen individuals, with the National Trust estimating up to 25 may be present as erosion continues. Radiocarbon dating places some remains in the early 1720s, though the Trust has not confirmed the link.
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A chance find on the Lizard
In August 2025, seven-year-old Arthur was exploring Lizard Point in Cornwall, the southernmost point of mainland Britain, when he noticed small, unusual objects in the ground. They turned out to be human teeth. Arthur showed them to Ken Wallace, a wildlife watchpoint volunteer and retired dentist, who recognised them as human. A short police inquiry determined the discovery was archaeological rather than modern, and the find was passed to National Trust archaeologist Jim Parry for investigation.
What Parry found next turned a child's discovery into a significant excavation. Parry recovered further teeth, fragments of jawbone and part of a skull, while erosion continued to expose more remains from the coastal mound. The mound had been gradually wearing away through a combination of natural and human activity, and the National Trust says erosion is expected to continue because of the site's exposed position.
Dating the remains
Initial suspicions that the site might contain prehistoric burials soon gave way to a more recent picture. Radiocarbon dating has placed some of the remains in the early 1720s, raising the possibility of a connection to one of Cornwall's most notorious maritime disasters.
The Royal Anne Galley, recorded by Historic England as the Royal Navy's last oared fighting ship, was wrecked off the Lizard in November 1721 after severe weather drove it onto the Stag Rocks. More than 200 people died in the disaster; only three survived. The ship was carrying Lord Belhaven, who was travelling to take up the governorship of Barbados, according to reports of the wreck.
Local traditions have long associated burial sites in the Lizard area with those who perished in the Royal Anne Galley wreck. The National Trust has not confirmed that the remains are victims of the Royal Anne Galley, but the dating and location have made the link a central line of investigation.
Excavations reveal multiple individuals
A week-long excavation in early November 2025 uncovered remains of five individuals. The bodies had been buried in an east-to-west orientation, with no clothing or artefacts alongside them. The absence of personal items supports the interpretation that this was not a conventional cemetery, according to the National Trust.
A second excavation in June 2026 uncovered five additional skeletons, bringing the number of identified individuals to around twelve. A jumbled deposit of bones from the 2025 excavation may represent parts of three or four more individuals, and the National Trust estimates the wider site could contain remains of approximately 20 to 25 people.
An osteoarchaeologist has identified dental wear patterns on one individual possibly associated with smoking a clay pipe.
Continued erosion and planned fieldwork
The exposed coastal mound continues to erode, posing a risk to the remains. Archaeologists plan to return in September and October 2026 for a final phase of fieldwork. Post-excavation work will include cleaning, cataloguing and analysing the recovered material.
The National Trust has described the site as vulnerable, and the ongoing investigation aims to recover as much information as possible before further erosion takes its toll.
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ClaimA 7-year-old boy named Arthur found human teeth at Lizard Point in Cornwall in August 2025.