Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of nine men decapitated and flung into a shallow grave 750 years ago.

Experts have been unable to confirm how the group met their grisly fate but believe they could have been involved in the Battle of Lewes, when King Henry III was defeated in 1264.

The discovery was made on the Downs near Lewes after environmentalists carrying out a scrub clearance of Sussex Wildlife Trust's Reserve spotted human bones.

An excavation by East Sussex County Council and amateur archaeologists turned up the remains.

Andrew Woodcock, an archaeologist working for the council, said: "There are several possible scenarios for the grisly event that took place on this hill.

"It could simply represent a simple mass execution of local criminals or, perhaps more probably, be related to the Battle of Lewes when King Henry III was defeated by Simon De Montfort and his barons.

"Perhaps this was a very public execution of prisoners-

of-war. Whatever the event, its location on the very crest of the hill overlooking Lewes and South Malling is significant.

"Clearly this was a spectacle meant to be witnessed by as many of the population as possible and it is poignant to think the last sight these sad wretches glimpsed, as they awaited their awful end, was the magnificent views towards Lewes Castle, Hamsey and Barcombe churches.

"What makes the site of particular interest is all the individuals were young, well built males, who had had their hands tied behind their backs before being decapitated and flung into a shallow mass grave.

"There is also evidence some of the skulls may have been displayed on spikes above the graves. Only one artefact was recovered with the skeletons - a small iron buckle, provisionally dated to the mid-13th to early 14th Century."

The defeated King Henry III was forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, leading to the first Parliament. It has long been known some of the defeated troops crossed the river at the Cliffe and tried to flee. An excavation in the Seventies uncovered 12 burials but the results went unpublished.

Mark Pearson, conservation manager at the Sussex Wildlife Trust, said of the latest find: "The bodies were very close to the surface so we felt it prudent to take them out. Normally we would leave them in situ where they fell but they could have come to the surface at any time. We had already found a bone that had been dug up by a rabbit.

"We took about seven of them out, only the ones that were close to the surface, and we left the rest there. We were only going to take out a few but when you took one out sometimes there was another body right under it where they had been flung on top of each other, so we ended up taking more out.

"It wasn't very pleasant but it is a fascinating find which gives an insight into the history of Sussex during that period."

The skeletons will be studied by specialists for further information about how they died.

Archaeologists want the remains to be given a consecrated reburial, perhaps in South Malling churchyard.