‘No certain roof but the Coffin Lid’. Exploring the commercial and academic need for a high level research framework to safeguard the future of the post-medieval burial resource

Powers, Natasha; Wilson, Andrew S.; Montgomery, Janet; Bowsher, David; Brown, Terry; Beaumont, Julia; Janaway, Robert C.

Abstract

Since the landmark excavation at Christchurch Spitalfields, interest in post-medieval burial archaeology has grown substantially. In the past five years, over 5000 post-medieval burials have been excavated in London alone. Concurrently, public interest in our recent past has increased, as shown by the popularity of programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are? Yet legal, ethical and practical constraints determine that assemblages are often reburied — limiting the archaeologist's ability to achieve the research potential of the burial resource — or they are exhumed in a non-archaeological manner. There is an undeniable danger of losing irreplaceable information which may be unlocked through research on human remains and associated grave goods, textiles and coffin furniture, using recently adopted and minimally invasive techniques such as biochemical analysis, 3D laser scanning and computed radiography. This situation needs to be addressed by the creation of a rigorous, long-term research framework which can optimise academic research, and inform excavation and analysis. Coupled with new ways of engaging with the public, such research can provide a holistic picture of the past. As full-economic costing has widened the gap between commercial archaeology and the higher education sector, this paper discusses how a consortium approach, involving traditionally separate disciplines and other stakeholders can create such a strategy.

Citation

Powers, N., Wilson, A. S., Montgomery, J., Bowsher, D., Brown, T., Beaumont, J., & Janaway, R. C. (2013). ‘No certain roof but the Coffin Lid’. Exploring the commercial and academic need for a high level research framework to safeguard the future of the post-medieval burial resource. In Archaeology, the Public and the Recent Past (125-144). Boydell & Brewer. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781782041290-011

• Online Publication Date: Aug 15, 2013
• Publication Date: 2013
• Deposit Date: Mar 16, 2025
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
• Pages: 125-144
• Book Title: Archaeology, the Public and the Recent Past
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781782041290-011
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3552144