Life and Death in East London
Research on three, culturally discreet, samples continues. Comparison will enable us to look at the link between religious beliefs, social behaviour and health. This innovative project combines data derived from separate developer funded excavations to produce a single thematic monograph.
The cemetery of the Catholic Mission of St Mary and St Michael, Whitechapel (LUK04) provided a sample of 268 adults and 437 children. Situated in one of the poorest areas of London and in use for just 11 years (1843-1854), evidence suggests a population chiefly of Irish descent, some of whom came to England during the Great Famine of 1847-8. A particularly interesting finding was that almost 40% of the adult males had notches in their teeth resulting from pipe smoking. This rate is much higher than we have seen elsewhere and may reflect both cultural and socio-economic factors. The pipe smokers were less healthy and had died younger than those men who did not smoke.
Close by, the private (commercial) Sheen’s burial ground, Commercial Road (CXL06) was in use from the 1830-1856. Eighty-eight children and 166 adults have been examined. Along with further cases of rickets, two people had suffered from tuberculosis and a further adult from syphilis. A partial denture made from ivory and belonging to an elderly woman was also found. Recording of 351 individuals from Bow Baptist burial ground, Payne Road, Bow (PAY05) is also largely complete. Dating from 1820-1870, analysis has revealed a wide range of pathological conditions including possible congenital syphilis, evidence of surgery and autopsy. This is the largest Baptist group archaeologically recovered in Britain, and coffin plates and cemetery plans have enabled us to identify over 100 individuals.
You can read the results of our specialist work in these recent publications:
Cowie R, Bekvalac J and Kausmally T. Late 17th- to 19th-century burial and earlier occupation at All Saints, Chelsea Old Church, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Grainger I, Hawkins D, Cowal L and Mikulski R. The Black Death cemetery, East Smithfield
Miles A, Powers N, Wroe-Brown R with Walker D. St Marylebone Church and Burial Ground: Excavations at St Marylebone Church of England School, 2005
Miles A, White W with Tankard D. Burial at the site of the parish church of St Benet Sherehog before and after the Great Fire: excavations at 1 Poultry, City of London
Other projects in 2008
Excavations discovered a hitherto unknown cemetery to the rear of the anatomy school (c.1820-1850) containing 170 articulated burials and 108 graves containing 511 dissected body portions. Nearly half the men and a quarter of the women and children had evidence of autopsy or dissection. Wired and stained specimens and wax casts of blood vessels and nerves were found. An unhealed fracture hinted at the hospitals function as an accident and emergency centre. Dissected dogs, rabbits and other animals were also found including a genuine medical guinea pig!
Globe Academy, Southwark (DVL05)
Known as New Bunhill Fields, this commercial burial ground dated 1821-1853 originally contained 10,000 burials. Assessment of the 566 children showed most died in infancy. Of the 200 adults, 48 had coffin plates showing their name and date of death, as did 62 children. Unusual pathology included a man with advanced naso-pharangeal cancer and another with a well-healed skull fracture.
City Bunhill burial ground, Islington (GDA06)
In use from October 1833 to August 1853, burial registers indicate c. 18,000 burials were made in this cemetery. Excavations during 2006 uncovered the remains of 239 individuals. Just over half were children. Sixteen individuals had evidence of rickets and five of these had suffered pathological fractures. Two cases of tuberculosis and a very advanced case of syphilis were identified.
Smaller projects
Numerous excavations uncovered human remains, notably c.30 medieval burials from Mariner’s House (Crutched Friars) (MCF06) and Roman and medieval burials from Holywell Priory. At Basinghall Street, City of London (BAZ05) the burial of a Roman child with a lead bracelet placed over their chest was found. The Team also worked for Albion Archaeology, and L-P Archaeology. Other sites included:
- St Bartholomew’s Hospital, City (BPB05), a minimum of 316 medieval individuals
- Olympics development site (OL-08607), a prehistoric cremation
- One New Change, City (NCZ07), two post-medieval burials
- Gresham Street, City (GHB06) two medieval burials
- Upper St Martin’s Lane, Westminster (USM06), nine Saxon burials
- St Peter’s Wharf, Maidstone, Kent (KT-SPW06), 119 medieval burials
If you are interested in MOLA 'grey' literature, please contact the Head of Osteology.