PLANS to dig up the remains of a nun who founded one of Britain’s top private schools have been scrapped after hundreds protested the decision.

The Venerable Mother Cornelia Connelly, who died in 1879, was interned beneath the walls of a chapel at Mayfield Girls School in West Sussex - which she founded in 1872.

The nun, who is being considered for sainthood, was also the founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, which wanted part of her body removed so it could be kept in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia - the city where she was born in 1809.

But more than 300 people protested the decision and now the plans have been abandoned.

Many Catholics, including former pupils, fought back against the plans which they branded "unimaginable" and "grossly abhorrent".

Sue Gaisford form Mayfield School’s Cornelian Association led the campaign against the transfer.

She told the BBC she was relieved when she found out Mother Cornelia Connelly would remain in Sussex.

"Cornelia restored the chapel in the 1860s and it became the mother house and hub of the teaching order she founded, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus," Sue said.

"Her philosophy, the Cornelian spirit, still pervades both school and chapel.

"She specifically asked to be buried at Mayfield, and today's decision will ensure that her body will remain undisturbed and a focus for prayer and pilgrimage for many years to come."

A spokeswoman for the school told the BBC: "Our wish was always for Cornelia Connelly to remain undisturbed, but the decision was not ours to make and we have always made clear that we would abide by the final outcome."

A statement from The Society of the Holy Child Jesus, which has the backing of Cornelia Connelly's living relatives, confirmed the "decision has been made to withdraw the application.”