St Mary Spital (Spitalfields ramp project SRP98)
24 February 2010
The Augustinian priory and hospital of St Mary without Bishopsgate (later known as St Mary Spital), East London was one of about two hundred hospitals founded in 12th-century England. It became one of the largest hospitals in the country in the medieval period, providing shelter for the sick, the poor, elderly and homeless.
An unprecedented accuracy of dating and phasing has been achieved using a targeted programme combining relative (stratigraphic) and absolute (radiocarbon) dating techniques. The project provides a unique insight into the lives of medieval Londoners from the 12th to the early 16th century. The analysis of some 5,500 medieval burials has enabled discussion of the effects of urban living on child health; the role and influence of the hospital and the reasons behind the mass burial of almost 4000 people. Amongst the significant discoveries are some of the earliest cases of syphilis in Europe.
A MOLA monograph on the cemetery population and the implications for our understanding of the health of Medieval Londoners is currently in production. The monograph is part of a four volume series on the archaeology of Spitalfields.
DUE TO ONGOING IMPROVEMENT WORKS, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ACCESS TO THIS COLLECTION. UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION WILL BE POSTED ON THIS PAGE. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY UNTIL THIS PAGE INDICATES THAT THE WORKS ARE COMPLETE. THANK YOU.
When the collection becomes available the Human Remains Committee will consider applications for doctoral or post-doctoral research on the recorded assemblage, where the completion and/or publication date is not before April 2011. All applications must follow the protocols on the CHB 'Research' page, but will also require the written agreement of MOLA. High demand is anticipated and therefore only novel projects with high research value will be considered. Destructive analysis is unlikely to be permitted except for an outstanding project.