Archaeologists Finally Open Coffin Found Near Richard III's Burial Site -- and Are Surprised at What They Find

LONDON (AP) -- A team of archaeologists said Monday it has unearthed an unusual coffin-within-a-coffin in the central England parking lot where it found the skeleton of King Richard III, and that they hope to identify the remains within.

University of Leicester scientists have been digging at the Grey Friars site in Leicester after finding the body of Richard there in September. He died nearby in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

A lead coffin found within another coffin near Richard III's burial site. (Source: LiveScience via Yahoo)

The team said it had discovered a fully intact medieval stone coffin during a dig in September but wasn't able to investigate it further at the time. When it was opened this week, the team said, it found a lead coffin within it, one likely to contain a "high status" individual.

Scientists think the lead coffin - which has a hole through which the deceased's feet can be seen - could contain one of the friary's founders, a medieval monk, or the remains of a 14th-century medieval knight, Sir William Moton.

The archaeologists say that tests must be carried out to determine how to open the lead coffin without damaging the remains.

The University of Leicester's Matthew Morris said no one on the team had ever seen a lead coffin within a stone coffin before.

"It was as exciting as finding Richard III," he said in a statement. "We still don't know who is inside - so there is still a question mark over it."