Children and child burial in medieval England
This thesis presents an investigation into children in medieval England through burial, the most archaeologically-visible evidence for the treatment and conceptualisation of children in life. It examines whether children were distinguished in burial from adults in parish cemeteries of the 10th-16th centuries. Selected cemeteries are analysed in detail to establish whether or not children received different burial treatment to adults. The burials of biologically-immature individuals are compared with the remainder of the burial population, totalling c.4,700 individuals, assessing whether the provision of burial furniture, burial in a shared grave and location of graves varied by age at death. The dissertation includes a discussion of archaeological and historical approaches to children and child burial, both general and medieval, medieval attitudes to children, death and burial, before discussing the case study sites in depth. From this, the methodological issues of undertaking such a study are considered and a sympathetic methodology developed, before the presentation of analysis, discussions and conclusions. I demonstrate that a variety of burial practices were used during the medieval period and that differentiation
Chapman, Emma Rosamund
Archaeology, medieval ; medieval ; England ; children ; child burial ; death
Children and child burial in medieval England. This thesis presents an investigation into children in medieval England through burial, the most archaeologically-visible evidence for the treatment and conceptualisation of children in life. It examines whether children were distinguished in burial from adults in parish cemeteries of the 10th-16th centuries. Selected cemeteries are analysed in detail to establish whether or not children received different burial treatment to adults. The burials of biologically-immature individuals are compared with the remainder of the burial population, totalling c.4,700 individuals, assessing whether the provision of burial furniture, burial in a shared grave and location of graves varied by age at death. The dissertation includes a discussion of archaeological and historical approaches to children and child burial, both general and medieval, medieval attitudes to children, death and burial, before discussing the case study sites in depth. From this, the methodological issues of undertaking such a study are considered and a sympathetic methodology developed, before the presentation of analysis, discussions and conclusions. I demonstrate that a variety of burial practices were used during the medieval period and that differentiation
children child burial medieval_england present_investigation child medieval_england burial archaeologically_visible evidence treatment conceptualisation child life examines whether child distinguish burial adult parish cemetery th__century selected cemetery analyse_detail establish_whether child receive different_burial treatment adult burial biologically immature individual compare remainder burial population total_individual assess_whether provision burial furniture burial share grave location graf vary age_death include_discussion archaeological_historical approach child_child burial general medieval medieval attitude child death_burial discuss case_study sit depth methodological_issue undertake study consider sympathetic developed presentation analysis discussion conclusion variety burial_practice use medieval_period differentiation