Twelve skeletons believed to belong to victims of the Black Death in the 14th century have been uncovered as part of the project to complete the £14.8 billion Crossrail project.
The carefully laid out bones are thought to be part of a Middle Ages burial ground in central London which could be the final resting place for as many as 50,000 victims of the plague, which became known as the Black Death and swept through Britain and Europe in 1348.
The find occurred as workers were digging at about 8ft underground on the road surrounding Charterhouse Square in Farringdon in the City of London.
Tests will be carried out on the skeletons but experts are linking the discovery with the Black Death as it is known that a burial ground for plague victims was opened in the Farringdon area, with records suggesting 50,000 people might have been buried at the site in less than three years.
About 1.5 million Britons died as a result of the Black Death – which equated to more than a third of the population. In Europe as a whole, about 25 million died.
The Black Death swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing thousands. Pottery dated up until 1350 found in the graves by the Crossrail team and the layout of the skeletons all point to them being plague victims. A similar skeleton formation was found in a Black Death burial site in nearby east Smithfield in the 1980s. The skeletons are being carefully excavated and taken to the Museum of London Archaeology for testing.
Scientists are hoping to map the DNA signature of the plague virus and possibly contribute to the discussion regarding what virus caused the Black Death. The bones will also be carbon dated to try to establish when they were buried.
Crossrail lead archaeologist Jay Carver said: ‘This is a highly significant discovery and at the moment we are left with many questions that we hope to answer.
‘We will be undertaking scientific tests on the skeletons over the coming months to establish their cause of death, whether they were plague victims from the 14th century or later residents, how old they were and perhaps evidence of who they were.
‘However, at this early stage… all points towards this being part of the 14th century emergency burial ground.’
These are not the first skeletons found on the Crossrail projects, with archaeologists already uncovering more than 300 at a known burial ground at Liverpool Street in London that dates from the 1500s to 1700s. That burial ground was located near the Bedlam Hospital.
Archaeologists also hope to find Roman artefacts as they dig deeper at the Farringdon site. Source: Metro
Have to wonder with the shortage of land to bury what decision will be made. As it stands coffins are dug up and replaced with new burials or holes made deeper to place new coffins on top of existing coffins. Cremation is today, the most practical way to go in my opinion unless you are rich enough to afford a decent burial plot.
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