Broadgate (post-medieval) cemetery summary

Preservation

The human skeletal remains were generally well preserved but later burials had damaged earlier interments, especially with the increasing use of coffins for burial.

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

Currently, only a portion of the sample has been partially recorded. To date, 137 individuals have been entered onto WORD. There are 73 adults and 64 sub-adults (Table 3, Fig 2).The proportion of sub-adults appeared very high (46.7%) but is expected to decrease when recording is complete.

Among the aged adults there were 20 males and 30 females, a ratio: 100:150 (Table 4, Fig 3). It is also expected that this ratio 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 with 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 was recorded in 18.5% of the left orbits and 11.1 % of the right orbits.

Healed trauma caused by accidental mechanisms showed a high prevalence of 18.5%, but trauma indicative of interpersonal violence had a lower prevalence (3.7%). Again, these rates 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

Dental pathology

	Caries			Calculus			Hypoplasia			Periodontitis			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 un-coffined, and only at the end of the 17th century were richer persons buried there, in lead coffins in the newly-constructed vaults. 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.

Site location

Broadgate, 123-229 Bishopsgate EC2
Sitecode: LSS85
Site code: LSS85 (Liverpool Street Station

Recorded by White, B
Development pending: last update 23 March 2015