A Medieval Cemetery At Mill Lane, Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk (east Anglian Archaeology Monograph)

With contributions by Peter Marshall and Sarah Percival. illustrations by David Dobson and Maggie Foottit. During construction of Ormesby bypass in east Norfolk, human bones were found by the contractors. Excavation revealed that these were not isolated burials. Sixty articulated burials were examined which, along with unstratified bones, represented at least forty-five adults and seventeen children. Radiocarbon determinations indicate a date range of 11th-14th centuries. Demographic, metrical, morphological, dental and pathological aspects of the population have been studied, and compared with contemporary Norfolk groups. Demographic analysis suggests a trend towards death in old age amongst the men and in young adult life for the women. Metrical analysis shows a similarity with medieval groups in Norfolk, and non-metric traits suggest a close affinity with people from a nearby Saxon cemetery and a medieval group from Norwich. Ormesby had four churches during the medieval period. The locations of three (St. Margaret, St. Michael and St. Peter) were known prior to this excavation, and the location of the fourth (St. Andrew) had been predicted. The burials were in none of these places. Archaeological evidence, along with aerial photographs, cartographic and documentary evidence allows an alternative location to be suggested for the church of St. Andrew, adjacent to the burials. List of Contents v List of Plates v List of Figures vi List of Tables vi List of Contributors vi Acknowledgements vii Summary/Résumé/Zusammenfassung vii Chapter 1. Introduction Project background 1 Historical and archaeological background 1 Research aims 1 Analysis methodology 2 Publication and archive 3 Chapter 2. The Excavation Site location 5 Topography and geology 5 The burial site 5 Discovery and methodology 5 The excavated features 5 The pottery, by Sarah Percival 8 Introduction 8 Pottery by period 9 Discussion by feature 9 Chapter 3. The Human Skeletal Remains, by Sue Anderson Introduction 11 Method 11 Comparative material 11 Number of individuals 11 Condition 11 Demographic analysis 12 Juveniles 12 Adults 13 Metrical and morphological analysis 14 Stature 14 Cranial indices 14 Post-cranial indices 15 Non-metric traits 15 Dental analysis 17 Ante-mortem tooth loss 17 Caries 17 Abscesses 17 Periodontal disease 18 Unerupted/congenitally absent teeth 18 Dental calculus 18 Enamel hypoplasia 18 Miscellaneous dental pathology 18 Pathology 18 Congenital anomalies 18 Arthropathies and degenerative disease 19 General spinal pathology 22 Metabolic and nutritional disorders 22 Circulatory disturbances 23 Infectious diseases 23 Trauma 25 Neoplasms 26 Miscellaneous lesions 26 Summary and discussion 26 Radiocarbon dating, by Peter Marshall 28 Introduction 28 Results 28 Calibration 28 Stable isotopes 28 Alternative age estimates 28 Chapter 4. General Discussion Introduction 30 Dating of the burials 30 The people, by Sue Anderson 30 Scandinavian influence 31 The churches 31 Location of the churches 31 Dates of the churches 32 Conclusions 34 Appendix: Results of fieldwalking and watching briefs along the Ormesby bypass 35 Bibliography 37 Index, by Sue Vaughan 39 "During construction of Ormesby bypass in east Norfolk, human bones were found by the contractors. Excavation revealed that these were not isolated burials. Sixty articulated burials were examined which, along with unstratified bones, represented at least forty-five adults and seventeen children. Radiocarbon determinations indicate a date range of 11th-14th centuries. Demographic, metrical, morphological, dental and pathological aspects of the population have been studied, and compared with contemporary Norfolk groups. Demographic analysis suggests a trend towards death in old age amongst the men and in young adult life for the women. Metrical analysis shows a similarity with medieval groups in Norfolk, and non-metric traits suggest a close affinity with people from a nearby Saxon cemetery and a medieval group from Norwich. Ormesby had four churches during the medieval period. The locations of three (St Margaret, St Michael and St Peter) were known prior to this excavation, and the location of the fourth (St Andrew) had been predicted. The burials were in none of these places. Archaeological evidence, along with aerial photographs, cartographic and documentary evidence allows an alternative location to be suggested for the church of St Andrew, adjacent to the burials."--Books.google