Burying the dead : an archaeological history of burial grounds, graveyards and cemeteries

Deep in the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, there lies a rather unusual burial ground, an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery. Twelve skeletons were unearthed by archaeologists, ten without skulls, later examination of the skeletons revealed that their owners were all subjected to judicial execution by decapitation, one of which required several blows. Similar fates have befallen other wretched souls, the undignified burial of suicides - in the Middle Ages, the most profound of sins - and the desecration of their bodies, go largely unrecorded. Whilst plague pits, vast cemeteries where victims of the Black Death were tossed into the ground, their bodies festering one on top of another, are only today betraying their secrets. Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important part of our social heritage. They have been fashioned as much by the people who founded and used them, as by the buildings, gravestones and other features which they contain. They are records of social change; the symbols engraved upon individual memorials convey a sense of inherent belief systems, as they were constructed, adapted or abandoned depending on people's needs. Symbols of Mortality explores how these attitudes, practices and beliefs about death have undergone continual change. By studying the development of society's funerary spaces, the author will reveal how we continue to reinforce our relationships with the dead, in a constant and on-going effort to maintain a bond with them. Deep in the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, there lies a rather unusual burial ground, an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery. Twelve skeletons were unearthed by archaeologists, ten without skulls, later examination of the skeletons revealed that their owners were all subjected to judicial execution by decapitation, one of which required several blows. Similar fates have befallen other wretched souls, the undignified burial of suicides - in the Middle Ages, the most profound of sins - and the desecration of their bodies, go largely unrecorded. Whilst plague pits, vast cemeteries where victims of the Black Death were tossed into the ground, their bodies festering one on top of another, are only today betraying their secrets. Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important part of our social heritage. They have been fashioned as much by the people who founded and used them, as by the buildings, gravestones and other features which they contain. They are records of social change; the symbols engraved upon individual memorials convey a sense of inherent belief systems, as they were constructed, adapted or abandoned depending on people's needs. This book explores how these attitudes, practices and beliefs about death have undergone continual change. By studying the development of society's funerary spaces, the author will reveal how we continue to reinforce our relationships with the dead, in a constant and on-going effort to maintain a bond with them An archeological study of burial grounds across England, shedding light on pagan executions, the Black Death, and much more.In the heart of North Yorkshire, at a place called Walkington Wold, archeologists unearthed twelve skeletons—ten without heads. Later examination revealed the place to be a cemetery for ancient Anglo-Saxons who had been sentenced to death.In the Middle Ages, those who committed suicide were subjected to desecration, a practice that went largely unrecorded. While plague pits, mass graves for victims of the Black Death, have only recently started betraying their secrets.Although unpalatable to some, these burial grounds are an important record of cultural history and social change. Burying the Dead explores how these sites reveal the attitudes, practices, and beliefs of the people who made them. Cover Book Title Copyright Contents Author’s Note Acknowledgments Introduction 1 The Pagan Way 2 Piety and Power 3 The Deviant Ones 4 They Died in Heaps Plate section 5 A Watery Grave 6 Boneyards of Steel 7 The Return of the Cemetery 8 Lest We Forget 9 Thinking Outside the Box Appendix 1: The Burial Acts Appendix 2: Graveyard Symbolism Notes and References Select Bibliography Back Cover Follow the author as they excavate human remains buried inside an ancient Kirk.