‘The history of the City of Hereford can be traced back over more than 13 centuries, a period during which it has commanded a position on the Welsh border and a crossing point of the River Wye. It played witness to Offa’s murder of King Ethelbert and formed a principal Mercian stronghold in the struggles against the Welsh culminating in a most horrific sacking. It faced the turmoil of the 12th century anarchy with the cathedral becoming a fortress set against the castle and its future prosperity was dashed by Henry VIII. Despite all this the city persevered and was famously the scene where a small Royalist garrison held off a Parliamentarian attack for six weeks. But what was life really like for the people who lived there during this period, and why does one burial stand out amongst nearly 2,500 excavated between 2009 and 2011?’