The partial skeleton was found during the dig on Monday, which was organised ahead of work to build a new housing development nearby between Portland Street and Poplar Street.
Yesterday Nottinghamshire County Council's assistant archaeology offic
er Dr Chris Robinson told Chad experts who made an initial examination of the bones thought they were more than 100 years old.
"We won't know anything for certain until they have been properly examined –– we don't know the age, sex or anything like that yet.
Unfortunately, nothing else was dug up with the bones –– we can use pottery and other items to help work out what period they were from," he said.
Chris said they were investigating whether the bones were part of an old burial site but revealed foul play had yet to be ruled out, although any crime would have been carried out before police records had begun.
"We can't rule out anything at the moment," he said. "In Christian burials the bones are normally arranged from west to east and that is not how we found them. It might have been a mistake or something else.
"In some ways I would like it if we discovered more bones and could identify the area as a burial ground –– but my feeling is they were a one off."
The discovery now means archaeologists will be at the site for the time being to establish what builders uncover when they move in to develop the site.
