UK's Creepy Deadman's Island Full Of Human Remains

A little-known island, dubbed Deadman's Island, lies just off the river Medway and is littered with ancient human remains.

The island was used to bury the remains of convicts who died aboard prison ships more than 200 years ago.

Creative Commons/Lewis Clarke

Back then, the government in Britain would ship convicts across the world to the penal colonies in Australia.

Hundreds of usually poor, and usually unhealthy people were crammed into the ships, that were known as prison 'hulks', and they could quickly become a breeding ground for disease.

When these prisoners died, they were buried in unmarked graves out of the way so the infectious diseases, often cholera, wouldn't spread and cause an epidemic.

But now, the shift in tides, alongside coastal erosion means there's a plethora of bone fragments, ancient skulls and wooden coffins sticking out from the six-feet of mud that once covered the entire area, Kent Live reports.

Alongside the human remains that litter the island, there's also an area called 'Coffin Bay', which as the name suggests, is full of old coffins.

PA

BBC

And if that's not quite creepy enough for you, locals in the area say there's ancient folklore tales of huge, red-eyed hounds wandering the island.

The island is completely off limits to visitors and is owned by Natural England, which says the it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Deadman's Island is also recognised to be of international importance under the Ramsar convention.

The creepy island appeared on BBC's Inside Out South East programme in 2017, with cast and crew being among the only visitors to step foot on the island in years.

BBC

Director Sam Supple told the Sun at the time: "It is like being on the set of a horror film.

"It looks so surreal, it's like an art department has designed it. There are open coffins and bones everywhere."

While presenter Natalie Graham added: "What I saw there will stay with me forever.

"This is a really strange sight. I would imagine there can't be anywhere on earth like this."

Topics: Interesting, Weird, UK, Interesting, Weird, UK

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19