The remains of the baby that had been found under floorboards almost two years ago were laid to rest in a dignified service on Monday the 27 of April in Bishop Auckland, writes volunteer community journalist, Carla Krenzke.
The weather seemed to mourn alongside those present. A grey sky and light rain gloomed over Bishop Auckland’s Cemetery as Durham Constabulary and County Council came together to give the infant a peaceful farewell.
Durham Councillor Cathy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services, reflected: “This little boy was never given the dignified and appropriate burial he deserved (…) He was laid to rest in a way that honoured a life that could have been”
A silver plate that has “Baby Auckland” engraved on it decorated the small white casket the baby was buried in.
“In giving this child a name, we recognise their place among us,” said Gemma Dobson, the celebrant, during her service.
The strange mystery started in July 2024, as builders found the skeleton on a property in Fore Bondgate.
What made the discovery even more unsettling was what surrounded the remains.
The infant had been wrapped in a 1910 edition of The Umpire. But what really opened questions about the fate of the baby was the fact that it had a twine wound three times around its neck, fastened with a loop and a knot.
In an effort to identify the child and what happened to it, the remains have been under various inquiries ever since.
Analysis made by pathologists and forensic anthropologists revealed that the infant was a boy. The scientists used a technique called peptide testing, examining proteins preserved in the teeth to determine the child’s sex.
They were also able to establish that the infant was full-term, but there was no indicator to find out the cause of death.
By using carbon dating, it was estimated that the baby was born somewhere between 1726 and 1955 — a broad but telling window that spans more than two centuries. Given the fact that the newspaper was from 1910, the police take this as a point of departure for his birth year.
Durham Police threw themselves into the investigation, determined to give Baby Auckland not just a name, but a story. Appeals were made to the public, and several people came forward for DNA testing, believing they may have had family ties to the Bishop Auckland area during the relevant period, but no matches could be found.
Although the cord around his neck seems to involve some kind of crime, Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland is reluctant to draw conclusions: “I wouldn’t like to speculate, it was such a long time ago (…) it was different times, wasn’t it? To try to put my modern mind back then is difficult.”
The decision to hold a funeral for a child that already died decades ago, with no name and no known relatives, is one that some might question.
For Sutherland and his colleagues, however, it was never in doubt: „Every life is worth celebrating and respecting (…) they’ve never had a voice, and they’ve never been able to tell their story, and the truth dies with them. So, it feels like my responsibility to give the baby a voice and an appropriate send-off.”
The final inquest will take place on May 18 in Crook. But regardless of that, Baby Auckland has finally found peace.
Carla Krenzke
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
