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A tranquil Cornish beauty spot has been discovered to hide a dark secret after the bodies of more than 200 people were discovered buried there

The "mass burial pit", near Lizard Point, is believed to be the last resting place of the 207 crew members and passengers of the HMS Royal Anne.

The ship crashed onto rocks and sank in 1721 killing all but three on board.

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It is believed their bodies were buried by locals in Pistil Meadow as they were washed up.

It will now be excavated by the National Trust after being uncovered during a three-year geophysical survey.

National Trust archaeologist Jim Parry told the BBC said the geophysical survey results "seem to be showing a very large mass burial pit".

He said the excavation, to be carried out in the summer of 2016, could show "the preservation of skeletal material".

The Royal Anne, the last oared fighting ship built for the Royal Navy was en route to the West Indies with Lord Belhaven, the new Governor of Barbados when it sunk.

The wreck of the ship was found near Lizard Point by divers in the 1970s.

The National Trust has worked with archaeologists from Bournemouth University, the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Maritime Archaeology Society to survey Pistil meadow.