Site Event/Activity record ESF19734 - Excavation - Gosnold DNA Project, All Saints Shelley and St Mary's Church, Stowmarket

Archaeological Evaluation was undertaken at All Saints Church Shelley and St Peter and St Mary's Church, Stowmarket following research by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) at Jamestown in Virginia, USA, has identified an inhumation burial which has the potential to be that of Bartholomew Gosnold one of the leaders of the earliest permanent English settlement in the USA. A separate historical study defines the background and identifies the academic and educational benefits of confirming the identity of the burial. An investigation of the likely burial sites of two of Gosnold's female relatives in Shelley and Stowmarket churches has been proposed in order to provide suitable mt DNA links to achieve this objective. This work would be carried out in conjunction with the National Geographic Society (NGS) who intend to film the project.