Roman Skulls Discovered by Crossrail Tunnellers

Around 20 Roman skulls have been discovered by Crossrail tunnellers building a utility tunnel at Crossrail’s Liverpool Street Station site.

Working under the direction of Crossrail’s archaeologists, the construction workers carefully removed the human skulls, found up to six metres below ground in the sediment of the historic river channel of the River Walbrook.

The skulls have been found below the Bedlam burial ground established in the 16th century, where 3,000 skeletons will be carefully removed during major archaeological excavations next year.

The tunnellers have also discovered wooden medieval structures believed to have been part of the walls of the Bedlam burial ground.

Please click here for the full story from Crossrail.

Ancient London Burial Ground Unearthed

Crossrail excavations have unearthed an ancient London burial ground, reports The Guardian.

A walled, two-acre burial ground which was opened in the mid-17th century by order of the mayor of London has been discovered. It was the first built away from the city's parish churches and their overfilled graveyards, and was usually known as Bedlam because it was on land formerly occupied by the mental hospital.

 

The victims of several plague outbreaks were also buried there, and as it filled, there were appeals for more top soil to keep the bodies decently covered; by the time it closed in 1714 it is said to have held a two-metre layer solid with corpses.

Because the bodies came from all over London, those buried there are unusually socially diverse. There are no surviving burial records for the cemetery, and instead names are scattered through thousands of records in the parishes where those buried there lived or died. The tunnelling project's chief archaeologist says up to 4,000 bodies of plague victims and inmates of Bedlam may yet be discovered.

Click here to read the full report from The Guardian.

The Rising Cost of Funerals

The cost of funerals has increased by 71% in just eight years, according to the Cost of Dying Report 2012 by Sun Life Direct.

The report shows that the basic cost of a funeral has risen for the eighth consecutive year, and that 17% of people have struggled with the cost of funerals. 

In these austere times, it would seem that the necessities of life, food, shelter, and disposal of our dead, are the ones that increase most in price.

  

The good news is that although many of the costs of a funeral are over-inflated and even unnecessary, options do exist which can dramatically reduce the cost of the funeral. 

People are becoming increasingly aware that everything from coffin to funeral transport to flowers can be provided by the family and friends of the deceased - including the funeral ceremony itself. There is no legal requirement to use the services of a funeral director, and it is even possible to conduct burials on private land in the UK.

There are other elements of dealing with the deceased which are unnecessary, including embalming, which is more commonly termed 'hygenic treatment'. It is even possible to keep the deceased at home until the funeral, and in some cases, to dig the grave yourself. 

Family-led and DIY funerals where the relatives of the deceased deal with all aspects of organising the funeral, are becoming increasingly popular. The Natural Death Centre charity has a wealth of information on funerals, and can offer advice and help in the event of the death of a loved one. 

The government can also provide financial assistance for people on low incomes - click here for more information.

Natural Burial in the UK

Britain could be leading the way globally in natural burials according to recent research conducted by researchers at Durham and Bath Universities.

With natural, or woodland, burials, people are typically buried in woodland settings in an environmentally friendly, biodegradable coffin or shroud, and without having been embalmed.  This method of burial is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with over 260 natural burial sites now in operation.

Reasons cited for the increase in natural burial include concerns over the environmental impact of other kinds of funeral,such as cremation, the cost compared with a traditional funeral, the burden on the family of maintaining a traditional grave, and the desire to reconnect with nature.  

The findings have been published as a book, Natural Burial: Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation by Professor Davies and Dr Rumble, one that will no doubt soon be gracing the shelves of the Carfax Library!

See the full story here.