A baby boy, whose skeletal remains were discovered wrapped in a newspaper from 1910 and bound with twine, may have lived as long as 300 years ago, according to an inquest held recently.
The infant, referred to as “Baby Auckland,” was the focus of an inquest at the coroner’s court in Crook, County Durham, which commenced on Tuesday. The remains were uncovered in 2024 by a contractor working on a Victorian-era home in Bishop Auckland, where they were found beneath the floorboards. The discovery included twine that was tied around the child’s neck and the newspaper, which dates back to 1910.
Initial assumptions placed the baby’s birth around that time; however, the inquest revealed through radiocarbon dating that he likely lived between 1726 and 1812, complicating the already tragic circumstance. Senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield authorized the release of the remains for a funeral, noting that a postmortem examination failed to determine the cause of death.
Upon finding the remains, local police were notified and determined that the baby had been “undisturbed for a number of years.” Given the newspaper’s presence, investigators aimed to trace the property’s history to identify residents from 1900 to 1920.
Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland expressed a commitment to uncovering the baby’s identity and the circumstances surrounding his death, stating, “It is my duty to be the voice of the child.” Two years later, the inquest confirmed plans for a funeral, but many questions still lingered regarding the child’s fate.
During the inquest, coroner’s officer Stephanie Clough recounted the events of July 29, 2024, when police were alerted to the discovery of a small skeleton by a contractor during renovations. The infant was found with a thin material resembling twine around its neck.
A forensic examination by pathologist Dr. Louise Mulcahy and forensic anthropologist Dr. Micol Zuppello concluded that the cause of death could not be determined. Clough noted that while DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to a male, the baby’s identity remains unknown.
The inquest revealed that the twine was wrapped around the boy’s neck three times. The newspaper used was the June 19, 1910 edition of the Umpire, a well-known Sunday publication that originated in Manchester in 1884.
At the brief inquest opening, Chipperfield was informed that the skeleton belonged to a full-term infant, approximated at 40 weeks of gestation, though it could not be established if the baby was stillborn. One method of radiocarbon dating indicated that the child was born before the first atomic bomb tests conducted in New Mexico on June 16, 1945, while another suggested a lifespan between 1726 and 1812.
A funeral for the baby is scheduled for April 27 in Bishop Auckland. Chipperfield adjourned the proceedings until May 18, when the inquest is expected to resume, with hopes of shedding further light on the enigma surrounding Baby Auckland.
