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Deadman Island In UK Is Full Of Skeletons And Visitors Are Banned

Deadman Island In UK Is Full Of Skeletons And Visitors Are Banned

The island was used to bury convicts who died aboard prison ships 200 years ago

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

An island in the estuary of the river Medway in Kent - dubbed Deadman's Island - is littered with ancient human remains.

That's because it was used to bury the remains of convicts who died aboard prison ships more than 200 years ago - back when the British government would transport prisoners to Australia.

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

Creative Commons/Lewis Clarke

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 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."

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: UK News, History