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'Alfred the Great' bones exhumed to prevent theft

St Bartholomew Church in Winchester, Hampshire, where archaeologists have exhumed bones from an unmarked grave. Credit: PA

Bones that could belong to King Alfred the Great have been exhumed from a churchyard over fears that they might be stolen or vandalised.

Archaeologists carried out the exhumation of an unmarked grave at St Bartholomew's Church in Winchester, Hampshire, this morning on church orders.

No permission has been given to analyse the bones to see if they are those of the Saxon monarch and they are now in safe storage.

Interest in Alfred's resting place comes after the body of Richard III was found under a car park in Leicester.