The excavation of the Littlemore Priory, which was founded in 1110 and dissolved in 1525, has revealed nearly 100 skeletons of men, women and children.
According to the Huffington Post, a series of "very unusual burials", have been discovered including the remains of a woman buried in the face-down position.
Archaeologist team leader Paul Murray, John Moore Heritage Services, said: "his was perhaps a penitential act to atone for their sins or the sins of their families. Her lower legs had been truncated by the later internment of an infant."
It's unusual for someone so young to be buried within the church. And sometimes women found in prone positions are considered to be witches," he added.
Other remains reportedly revealed a victim who was the victim of a blunt force trauma to the back of the head, a stillborn child and a leper.
