A village's link with its medieval past is being probed after centuries-old skeletons were exhumed from a graveyard.

The ancient resting places of eight people have so far been unearthed in the churchyard of St Michael's in Mickleham, where work on a new vestry has begun.

Experts have been carefully extricating the remains, some of which are thought to date back to medieval times, and more are expected to be unearthed.

Part of the church was built about 970AD and the holy site is listed in the Domesday Book, the famous survey completed for William the Conqueror in 1086.

The remains may not come from the 11th century and archeologists think they date from at least the 1400s.

Five skeletons, including bones and a skull of a three-year-old child, believed to date back to the late medieval period have been recovered.

The skeletons of three bodies thought to be from the 18th or 19th centuries were also unearthed.

The remains will be taken away for analysis to learn more about their backgrounds.

But experts say burials by the church walls indicate residents of nobility or high status.

Archeologist Stuart Watson, who has been overseeing the project, said: "We have no evidence as to who they may have been, but it is a high possibility that they were high-status individuals.

"It is not without reason to suggest they might have been local nobility."

He continued: "All these burials pre-date the vestry which went up in the Victorian era. There are probably more people buried here that we will uncover.

"In a churchyard of this age, it is likely it is very, very crowded and there is a lot of burials in here. They are not always six feet down and can be quite shallow."

The remains have been attracting interest from villagers, who have flocked to the site since the first bones were uncovered on June 1.

It is part of a 16-week project to replace the church's Victorian vestry and provide a toilet within the church.

Barry Moughton, of Westhumble Street, Westhumble, was among parishioners interested in the findings.

He said: "I am fascinated by it but it is a pity the bodies have had to be disturbed. It is a real clash with tradition that they are being removed for a loo."

Mickleham parish priest, the Rev David Ireland, said: "It is of quite considerable historical interest locally. The feeling from the archeologist is that some of the skeletons are as much as 500 years old."

Mr Ireland said the remains will be reburied in the churchyard when building work is complete.