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Nelson's Caribbean Hellhole: An 18th-Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered

As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Sam Willis explores Antigua's ruins and sees how the Caribbean's sugar islands were a kind of hell in Nelson's time.

Human bones found on an idyllic beach in Antigua trigger an investigation by naval historian Sam Willis into one of the darkest chapters of Britain's imperial past. As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Willis explores Antigua's ruins and discovers how the sugar islands of the Caribbean were a kind of hell in the age of Nelson.

Sun, sea, war, tropical diseases and poisoned rum.

1 hour

Last on

Fri 18 Nov 2022 02:50

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four Archaeology Season

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four Archaeology Season

Nelson's Caribbean Hell-HoleÌýis part of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four’s season of programmes exploring our fascination with uncovering the past. Find out more about the other programmes in the season below…

Ìý

-ÌýDr Richard Miles seeks out ancient treasures and explores our relationship with the past.

Ìý

-ÌýBen Robinson conducts aerial surveys of ancient sites to reveal new evidence of lost civilisations.

Ìý

-ÌýJulian Richards discovers how science, conservation and new finds have changed our understanding of history.


The - Robin Lane Fox explores the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s first ventures into archaeology programming.


-ÌýPeter Barton investigates the military mining that played a big part in the tactics of both sides during WWI.

Find out more

Find out more

There are lots of features, articles and quizzes covering archaeology - and the treasures that have been uncovered - in ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ History’s Archaeology section.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Sam Willis
Producer Rupert Edwards
Director Rupert Edwards
Executive Producer Tim Green

Broadcasts