FOR almost four centuries they have lain cold and forgotten in a mass grave many miles from home.

The bones of Scottish soldiers believed to have died in captivity after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 –which saw English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell claim a decisive victory – were uncovered in pits near Durham Cathedral.

By law, the remains must be reinterred once archaeologists have finished studying them but calls to bring them home to Scotland are growing louder.

Campaigner George Wilson, who previously arranged to have a plaque commemorating the Scots dead erected at Durham Cathedral, believes that their final resting place should be in the land of their birth.

A petition launched by Mr Wilson lobbying for the repatriation of the remains – which he describes as "Jock Tamson's bairns" – has garnered almost 500 signatures to date.

The exhumation licence issued by the Ministry of Justice requires reinterment in the nearest active burial ground. Yet, officials at the Durham University have said it could still be possible to vary the terms for reburial elsewhere.

Indeed, comparisons can be drawn with the recent uncovering and reburial of King Richard III, whose remains were found underneath a car park in Leicester and later entombed in the city's cathedral.

It is time to see our fallen forefathers returned to Scotland where they can rest in peace.