Remains in England may be those of King Alfred the Great

British archaeologists say they have identified a piece of bone they believe may have belonged to the English king Alfred the Great. A section of human pelvis found in Winchester has been carbon-dated to between 895 and 1017, within the lifetimes of Alfred the Great and his son Edward the Elder, The Guardian reported Friday. Alfred died in 899 and his son Edward in 924. The finding is considered the first solid evidence yielded in centuries of attempts to identify the last resting place of one of the most famous English kings. The bone was found in a cardboard box in the Winchester museum in a heap of animal bones and some human fragments excavated from the site of the of the demolished Hyde Abbey in 1999. Hyde Abbey, where Alfred was originally buried with his son and other members of his family more than 1,000 years ago, had been demolished in the dissolution of the monasteries ordered by Henry VIII around 1540. The remaining surrounding buildings, with the exception of a gatehouse, were cleared in the 18th century to construct a prison. The researchers said the discovery would likely lead to more excavation at the Hyde Abbey site.