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Churchyard bones reveal good living standard

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This is a text-only version of an article first published on Monday, 10 April 2017. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.

by Peter FootAN unusual churchyard excavation has revealed half a millennium of a high standard of living in Faringdon, Oxfordshire.

The churchyard at All Saints, Faringdon.

With the permission of the Diocese, 341 complete skeletons were reverently exhumed as part of the excavation which was done prior to work on new buildings, the Barber Rooms, named after a principal donor, that will be used for outreach work from All Saints' Church.

When it is finished the new, flexible meeting space behind and connected to the church will be used for children's groups on Sundays, as well as midweek for Alpha groups, coffee mornings for the elderly, U3A gatherings, post-baptism and funeral events, discussion opportunities and, no doubt, a host of other meetingsThe most interesting information came from the 341 complete skeletons exhumed - a number that far exceeded original estimates, based on sample digging.

The full archaeologists' report is expected this month. Analysis of the skeletons reveal that, for near on half a millennium, Faringdon has been a reasonable place in which to live.

Evidence from the way breaks have healed suggests that the quality of medical care in treating fractures has been consistently good.

It is unlikely that this was the only area of available medical competence, even if mortality rates were higher than they are today.

There is even some evidence of a successful above-knee amputation. The indications are that overall diet-led health levels were much better than might be assumed.

This suggests there was no large underclass; Faringdonians of whatever status seem to have enjoyed several centuries of sufficient resources to support their families for generation after generation.

This is especially interesting as the archaeological dig was on the north side of All Saints' where, if anywhere, one might have expected the poorer members of the community to be buried.

In fact, quite a number of the unmarked graves on that side of the church show evidence of good quality coffins, or shrouds, and individual name plates. The findings suggest a town with broadly equal numbers of women and men, with average heights respectively of 5'2" and 5'6"; something like half of the population seems to have died in the range 25 to 70+ years old.

Less expected were the personal narratives that emerged clearly from the remains.

There are unforgettable stories: of a woman's bones deeply affected by cancer: before today's skills with pain control, this must have been a searing experience for her; of a boy with some of his ribs fused from birth: he must have had a tough time, and a sad sight of mother and child together in death, no doubt a more frequent occurrence then than now but, nonetheless, moving to encounter what is still far too common today in many parts of the world. The archaeologists suggest that the findings are of national importance because of the relative rarity of such a large graveyard dig in England.

For All Saints', the findings reinforce the parish church's central role in the life of the town over hundreds of years.

It is fitting that the re-interment in April 2014 allowed All Saints' to express respect for its previous parishioners and the hope of the risen life to come. Above, All Saints Faringdon.

Picture: Anna Marlow.

www. annamarlow. com.

Page last updated: Monday 10th April 2017 12:00 AM
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