University of Reading Archaeologists Return to Cookham Abbey to Study Early Monastic Care

Archaeologists are returning to an early medieval monastery in Cookham to find out who the sick and dying people buried there were, and why they came to one of England’s earliest Christian communities to be cared for.

Cookham Abbey, in East Berkshire, has been excavated by the University of Reading for the past five consecutive summers since 2021. Previous digs examining an 8-9th century cemetery attached to the monastery revealed more than two dozen diseased skeletons, indicating that people suffering from cancer and other serious diseases and infections received end-of-life care at Cookham.

The monastery, ruled by Mercian Queen Cynethryth around 1,200 years ago, has been buried under a field in Cookham village since it was abandoned towards the end of the 9th century AD. Staff, students and volunteers are set to return for more fieldwork on Monday, 13 July as they aim to find more clues as to how Christianity transformed care for the sick and dying.

Professor Gabor Thomas, leader of the University of Reading excavations, said: “We already know Cookham Abbey was a place of healing. Sick and dying people came here to be cared for in what may have been one of the earliest centres of its kind in England. 

“The big question now is who were these people? Were they members of the monastic community, local residents, or were they pilgrims who travelled to Cookham along the River Thames to receive salvation for their bodies and souls?

“We are studying ancient DNA and the chemical traces preserved in the buried remains to learn more about the people buried at Cookham Abbey were and the illnesses they suffered from.

“Every skeleton and every object we uncover helps us picture the daily reality of being ill more than 1,000 years ago, and how people coped with pain and illness they had little power to treat.”

Beyond the cemetery

The discovery of the cemetery led to the monastery receiving national media attention in 2025, including a visit from archaeologist and TV presenter Sandi Toksvig for her Channel 4 show ‘Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders’.

The cemetery forms part of an extensive monastic landscape which is going to be further explored in 2026. This will include more investigation of communal buildings where the monastic household ate and slept, wells for obtaining water, and one of England’s earliest watermills.  

In addition to the usual excavation activities, there will be a new artist-in-residence specialising in crafted ceramics present at the excavations. Visitors to the site can marvel at the creations and the archaeologists’ discoveries throughout July and August. Tours can be booked via Friends of Cookham Abbey from Friday, 10 July. 

The excavations, carried out with the kind permission of, and in collaboration with Holy Trinity Church, Cookham, are set to run until Saturday, 8 August.

Find out more about previous discoveries from excavations at Cookham in 2021, 2022, 2023 2024 and 2025. Read an overview of the Cookham excavations.