The skeleton and grave of a medieval knight have been found during work beneath an Edinburgh car park. Archaeologists made the discovery, along with the foundations of a 13th century monastery, during excavation of a building site in High School Yards in the Old Town. They first uncovered the corner of an elaborately decorated sandstone slab with the telltale markings of a member of the nobility – the carvings of the Calvary Cross and an ornate sword. Excavation of the immediate area also uncovered the skeleton, 
likely to have once occupied the grave. An analysis of the bones and teeth will tell historians more about where the individual was born, what he ate, where he lived and how he died.
The area was once the site of three significant historical buildings – the seventeenth century Royal High School, the sixteenth century Old High School and the thirteenth century Blackfriars Monastery. The monastery had bee founded in 1230 by Alexander II (King of Scotland 1214-49) and destroyed during the Protestant Reformation in 1558. Until now, its exact location was unknown. However, this has now been revealed by the excavation.
The car park had been removed to make way for the University of Edinburgh’s new Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI) building. The land will be used for a rainwater-harvesting tank, one of the many low carbon measures designers hope will help create a highly efficient, sustainable building. It is expected to achieve a green building rating of “outstanding”, and if achieved will be the first historic building in the world to achieve this.
Councillor Richard Lewis (right), Culture convener, City of Edinburgh Council, said the find had “the potential to be one of the most significant and exciting archaeological discoveries in the city for many years, providing us with yet more clues as to what life was like in Medieval Edinburgh. We hope to find out more about the person buried in the tomb once we remove the headstone and get to the remains underneath but our archaeologists have already dated the gravestone to the thirteenth century.”
ECCI director Andy Kerr added that the university had always known that “the building retrofit might uncover historical artefacts, given the site’s history, but this knight is an extraordinary and exciting find. We want our new building to play a key role in shaping Scotland’s future, as these historical building on this site did in their time.”
Ross Murray from Headland Archaeology was astonished by the discoveries, in part because he had studied at the university’s archaeology department, once housed in the historic building. “We obviously knew the history of the High School Yards site while we were studying here,” he said, “but I never imagined I would be back here to make such an incredible discovery. We used to take breaks between classes just a few feet away in the building’s doorway and all that time the grave was lying under the car park.”
The refurbished building, which dates back to 1777, will reopen as an innovation and skills hub in the summer.