Burials and the Black Death: The New Library Excavation, Hereford Cathedral

Presents new structural evidence for Saxon Hereford, a possible nunnery and bishop’s residence, and its ransacking in 1055 by the Welsh.

Excavation at Hereford Cathedral in 1993, prior to the construction of the Mappa Mundi Museum and a new archive library, revealed extensive archaeological remains, commencing with 8th/9th-century buildings and a Saxon cemetery. In the 10th century a well-metalled road surface was constructed. Alongside this, a very substantial building arose, partially built in stone, and with a cellar. Its scale and design indicated this to be the bishop’s residence. It was, however, remarkably short-lived. Its cellar became a cesspit, a pattern-welded sword lay on its floor, and overlying fills included an ornate inkwell, and a collection of animal carcasses. Radiocarbon dating suggests the Welsh ransacking of Hereford in 1055 as the context, recorded in historical evidence as disastrous for the cathedral.

The site of the cellared building was later quarried for aggregate, which accords well with major building works during the Norman period, most notably the Losinga Chapel and the new cathedral. A vast amount of mostly Saxon charnel was incorporated into backfilling the quarry, its final deposition being accompanied by inhumation burials, some being irregular. The latter may be linked to the violent hostilities in Hereford (c 1140) during the Anarchy.

From the mid-12th century the site wholly became a cemetery area, and the excavation of about 1000 burials has provided a full cross-section of the medieval population, with their analysis covering aspects such as health, stature and even origins. In the 14th century, three mass burial pits occurred, with dating consistent with the first outbreak of plague, the ‘Black Death’, in 1349. Associated analysis has contributed to an international study, successfully using ancient DNA analysis to identify the presence of Yersinia pestis, the plague microbe.

This report includes detailed reporting on the finds, particularly the human remains, with the interpretation of the entire stratigraphic sequence underpinned throughout by extensive radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling.

Table of Contents

List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Summary
1 Introduction, by Derek Hurst (with contributions by Pat Hughes and Ron Shoesmith†)
2 Structural evidence, by Derek Hurst
3 Radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling, by Peter Marshall, Derek Hurst, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Elaine Dunbar, Sanne Palstra, Paula Reimer and Marie C Weale
4 Ceramics, by Derek Hurst and Alan Vince†
5 Metalwork, by Derek Hurst (with a note on a harness fitting by Aisling Nash)
6 The Hereford sword: technological investigation and appraisal, by Brian Gilmour
7 Coins and other possible numismatic finds, by David Symons
8 Worked flint, by Rob Hedge
9 Other artefacts, by Derek Hurst (with a note on the salmon bead by Sheila Hamilton-Dyer)
10.1 Human skeletal remains, by Darlene Weston, Alan Ogden† and Anthea Boylston
Appendix 1: Demography, by Darlene Weston
Appendix 2: Stature and metrics, by Anthea Boylston
Appendix 3: Non-adult growth, by Darlene Weston
Appendix 4: Enthesopathy, by Anthea Boylston
10.2 Life and death at Hereford Cathedral, by Sarah Stark
11 Disarticulated human remains from the charnel pit, by Hannah Haydock, Gemma Burton and Jo Buckberry
12 DNA analysis of the plague in Hereford, by Stephanie Hänsch, Darlene Weston and Barbara Bramanti
13 Multi-isotopic analysis, by Peter Marshall, Gundula Müldner and Jane A Evans
14 Faunal remains, by Ian L Baxter† (with contributions by Karis Baker and Sheila Hamilton-Dyer)
15 Environmental remains, by Elizabeth Pearson
16 Death, funerals and burials in late medieval Hereford: the documentary evidence, by Ian Forrest
17 Overall discussion and conclusions, by Derek Hurst
Bibliography
Index

Derek Hurst is a senior project manager with Worcestershire Archaeology and heads their post-excavation. With an extensive background in ceramic studies, his principal research interest is in the central role of finds data for the interpretation of sites.