THE front lawn of a family's home hides a 250-year-old graveyard!

The remains of five Quaker worshippers lie beneath the garden of Gwyn and Denise Atack's garden in Thomason Fold, Edgworth.

The graveyard is thought to stretch under two houses next door to the Atacks -- cottages which were once a Quaker meeting house.

The religious house was transformed into the three present cottages in 1765. The bodies of worshippers were buried in a graveyard alongside.

But for the Atacks, the new find is old news. They knew the ancient burial ground existed when they moved there five months ago!

Retired engineer Gwyn, aged 57, said: "We do not have a problem with it. It is nice to be part of local history.

"We just feel that we have an obligation to maintain them. We cannot put fences up as it is part of the Quaker agreement.

"Nobody is 100 per cent sure but we think the five graves, each containing one body, are spread across the three houses."

Denise, aged 54, added: "It is quite nice having a little bit of history going back through the years in your front garden but some people might find it a bit spooky."

The news comes days after the BEN revealed how builder Graham Luxton unearthed two bones from a site next to the Atacks' house as he started to build a four-bedroomed house. The discovery stopped the work.

It is thought those bones are that of Congregationalist worshippers buried there after the Quaker meeting house disbanded and a new chapel was built nearby.

Forensic experts are conducting age tests on both bones. Two more more are still lodged in the excavation work.

Gwyn added: "We have got graves in the front garden and that is why it is so lumpy. You can see their outlines. We have lived in the area for 21 years but when we came to buy this house the owners did not want to let on. We could be surrounded by Quaker burial sites."

Denise said: "We knew it was a Quaker graveyard beforehand. We cannot do anything on it or do any digging.

"But It is nice to have different garden."