Wiktionary
there were
vb. (form of simple past plural there be English)
Usage examples of "there were".
Miraculous as it seems, there were some survivors from the obliterated village, women mostly.
Despite the will of the majority, there were still those who wanted it for their own purposes.
With only part of her elaborate butterfly hairdo finished - and since there were no men available to defend her village - H'e-e'-e ran to the other villages and rounded up an army of braves.