Archeology at Spitalfields

As part of the street life module, level 5 students were asked to work in groups of three and research and analyse an existing project in the east end of London chosen by Ed (tutor). The site chosen for us was Spitalfields Market. We had to study material and planting specification and note anything that was of personal interest to us for future analysis and evaluation . Each group member had to visit the site and record things of interest and organise our findings into a coherent format ready for presentation. One thing I was particularly interested in was the archeology of the site. When I was researching, I found that the area of Spitalfields was rich in Roman and Medieval history. The area had been very important throughout the ages firstly because of the Roman tomb that was discovered encasing the remains of a woman, then a market having existed since the 13th century.

 

The charnel house, one of only four such dedicated medieval buildings in England, was built in the early 1300s as the crypt of a chapel that stood in the cemetery of St Mary Spital priory. For more than 200 years it was a repository for bones disturbed when gravediggers buried new bodies in the hospital churchyard.

The charnel house has now been restored and repaired by Holden Conservation and is currently in a protective box during the main construction phase of new offices for Allen and Overy.

 http:
//www.museumoflondonarchaeology.org.uk/English/ComLearn/Outsites/CharnelHouse.htm  

I was interested in these discoveries so I've shown you what I have found. Below is an article from the Museum of London showcasing the Roman woman found at Spitalfields."This lady lived in Londinium between AD300 and 400. Archaeologists found her remains in a Roman cemetery at Spitalfields in 1999.” “Her family had buried her in a lead coffin inside a limestone sarcophagus. The two coffins kept out the air and helped to preserve her bones. The museum's experts have learnt a lot about her by analysing her remains. From the skull and pelvic bones we know she was female. When she died she was probably 20-25 years old. From the length of her leg bones we think she was about 164cm tall. Tests on the chemicals in her teeth suggest she grew up somewhere warm. Her DNA is like that of people in modern Spain. She was buried with cloth made of wool, silk and gold thread. Only these tiny fragments survived. This cloth, the two coffins and the ornaments buried with her suggest her family was rich.

Archeology - Roman Woman at Spitalfields * http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/learning/features_facts/digging/people/o1.html