Broadgate
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A municipal cemetery, the ‘New Churchyard’ founded in 1569 (and in use until 1714), was disturbed during the 19th century construction of Broad Street and Liverpool Street Stations. The site was fully excavated in 1984 to 1987 by the Museum of London Department of Urban Archaeology. Several hundred skeletons were reburied on site and a sample c400 individuals was retained for full analysis.
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Preservation
The human skeletal remains were generally well preserved but later burials had damaged earlier interments, especially with the growing use of coffins.
| Preservation |
N= |
% |
| Good |
78 |
56.9 |
| Medium |
37 |
27.0 |
| Poor |
22 |
16.1 |
Table 1 skeletal preservation
Figure 1 Skeletal completeness (N=137)
Demography
Of 137 individuals recorded so far, there were 73 adults and 64 sub-adults ( Table 3, Fig 2).This proportion of sub-adults appeared very high (46.7%) but will fall when recording is complete.
Among the aged adults there were 20 males and 30 females, a ratio: 100 : 150 (Table 4, Fig 3). This too will change when recording has been completed.
Figure 2 Age distribution (N=137)
| Age |
N= |
% |
| Perinatal |
9 |
6.6 |
| 1-6 month |
8 |
5.8 |
| 7-11 month |
7 |
5.1 |
| 1-5 years |
16 |
11.7 |
| 6-11 years |
18 |
13.1 |
| 12-17 years |
6 |
4.4 |
| 18-25 years |
16 |
11.7 |
| 26-35 years |
5 |
3.6 |
| 36-45 years |
16 |
11.7 |
| >46 years |
16 |
11.7 |
| Adult |
16 |
11.7 |
| Sub adult |
4 |
2.9 |
Table 2 Age distribution
Figure 3 Adults male and female distribution (N=50)
|
All adults |
% |
Male |
% |
Female |
% |
| 18-25 years |
12 |
24.0 |
6 |
30.0 |
6 |
20.0 |
| 26-35 years |
15 |
10.0 |
2 |
10.0 |
3 |
10.0 |
| 36-45 years |
14 |
28.0 |
7 |
35.0 |
7 |
23.3 |
| >46 years |
16 |
32.0 |
3 |
15.0 |
13 |
43.3 |
| Unsexed Adults |
3 |
6.0 |
2 |
10.0 |
1 |
3.3 |
| Total |
50 |
|
20 |
|
30 |
|
Table 3 Male and female distribution by age in the adult population
Stature
Average stature for women and men was consistent will Early Modern populations (Roberts and Cox 2003, 308).
| Sex |
Avg_stat |
SD |
VAR |
MIN |
MAX |
N |
| Female |
160.1 |
4.6 |
21.0 |
153.0 |
166.4 |
12 |
| Male |
166.7 |
4.3 |
18.5 |
158.5 |
172.3 |
8 |
| Unsexed |
168.2 |
4.9 |
23.8 |
164.7 |
171.6 |
2 |
Table 4 Stature estimation from femoral length
Pathology
Rickets was seen in a high proportion of individuals from the site, including healed rickets in 10% of the females and 10% of the males. Cribra orbitalia occurred in 18.5% of the left orbits and 11.1 % of the right orbits.
Healed trauma of accidental cause showed a high prevalence of 18.5% overall but trauma suggesting interpersonal violence had a lower prevalence (3.7%). Again, all may change when all the individuals have been recorded.
Table of pathology from Broadgate (49kb)
Vertebral pathology
|
All adults |
Male |
Female |
|
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
| Osteoarthritis |
50 |
2 |
4.0 |
20 |
0 |
0.0 |
30 |
2 |
6.7 |
| Osteophytosis |
50 |
6 |
12.0 |
20 |
3 |
15.0 |
30 |
3 |
10.0 |
| IVD |
50 |
2 |
4.0 |
20 |
1 |
5.0 |
30 |
1 |
3.3 |
| Schmorl's nodes |
50 |
5 |
10. |
20 |
4 |
20.0 |
30 |
1 |
3.3 |
| Fusion |
50 |
4 |
8.0 |
20 |
2 |
10.0 |
30 |
2 |
6.7 |
Table 5 Distribution of vertebral pathology by sex in adults with one or more vertebrae present
|
Caries |
Calculus |
Hypoplasia |
Periodotitis |
Periapical lesions |
|
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
N |
n |
% |
| Male |
20 |
8 |
40 |
20 |
16 |
80.0 |
20 |
0 |
0.0 |
20 |
5 |
25.0 |
20 |
4 |
20.0 |
| Female |
31 |
20 |
64.5 |
31 |
20 |
64.5 |
31 |
0 |
0.0 |
31 |
8 |
25.8 |
31 |
10 |
32.3 |
| All adults |
52 |
30 |
57.7 |
52 |
37 |
71.2 |
52 |
0 |
0.0 |
52 |
13 |
25.0 |
52 |
14 |
26.9 |
| Sub adults |
48 |
3 |
6.3 |
48 |
4 |
8.3 |
48 |
10 |
20.8 |
48 |
12 |
25.0 |
48 |
0 |
0 |
Table 6 Distribution of dental pathology by sex in adults with one or more vertebrae present
Discussion
Although the ‘New Churchyard’ was opened in order to relieve the congestion occurring in the existing parish churchyards, instead it became the burial place for the poorer members of London society (Harding 2002, 95-8 ). The majority of the burials were uncoffined and only at the end of the 17th century were richer persons buried there, in lead coffins in newly-constructed vaults. A few of them were named individuals.
A large proportion of the skulls revealed an unusual morphology. They showed an ‘occipital’ projection or ‘bun’ at the back of the head. Such crania are termed bathrocranic.
Links related to Broadgate
Links to excavations carried out on this cemetery
Broadgate, 123-229 Bishopsgate EC2
Sitecode: LSS85