There's lots of little hints that the skeleton gives you about what sort of life they led.". The fort, which is so big it is actually a fortified town, was built in 1713 and abandoned in 1760 after decades of fighting between the French and British. "It does shock the conscience of most people," Clevenger said. "Tuam was a former workhouse and conditions were pretty bleak," said O'Sullivan, co-author of the 2001 book "Suffer the Little Children: The inside Story of Ireland's Industrial Schools. Here's our take New Orleans celebrates with the 2020 Reveillon Menus. An Explanation for the Mysterious Deaths of Hundreds Aranzadi Science Society/AP. A sampling of the remains suggested they were from human infants, ranging from fetuses at approximately 35 weeks of development to children 3 years old. Some of the skeletons displayed signs of disease, including leprosy, while two children suffered from developmental dysplasia of the hip. The bodies were disposedof by midwives down the well because it was down a blind alley near the agora which was easily accessible but out of sight. It is a huge step forward. The skeletons were first found in 1942, and for decades the cause of death was a mystery. Police could not confirm if a full excavation of the site was planned. Archaeologists led by Paul Murray, of John Moore Heritage Services, found 92 skeletons of women, men and children. "Why have politicians and the Church reacted with such shock? Sign up for our weekly email newsletter delving into climate science and life on a changing planet. The Church operated as a quasi social service in the 20th century and the mother and baby homes were run in a similar fashion to the Magdalene Laundries, where single women who became pregnant were sent away. Corless remembers being threatened with having to sit next to what were called the Home Babies if she misbehaved while attending a Catholic school nearby. Listen to the audio version of this content. While its difficult to say how the bones came to be placed along the walls, it might come as no surprise that the spirits of these children (or others who once lived or were educated at the convent) still haunt the property today. Funding was politically controversial.