Fewston
In 2009, John Buglass Archaeology excavated part of a churchyard at Fewston, North Yorkshire, to make way for the Washburn Heritage Centre. The excavation uncovered 154 skeletons, most of which date to the post-medieval period, though some may be medieval. Most individuals were buried in coffins, some with glass over their faces and others in brick vaults. Twenty-one individuals had coffin plates with their names and ages.
Two Heritage Lottery Grants funded the analysis of the skeletons by York Osteoarchaeology. We found that a third of the population were children, aged from newborn to teenagers. The adults were male and female in equal proportions and were often mature. Both sexes suffered from widespread joint disease and many individuals, especially men, had fractures or dislocations that were probably related to their daily activities, such as farming and stone masonry. Some evidence of interpersonal violence was also seen, such as broken noses.
Many of the older children had experienced stress during their lives, including tuberculosis, rickets, scurvy, anaemia and stress lines on their teeth, which was untypical for such a rural population. This prompted research collaborations with the Universities of Durham and York, and 20 local volunteers, led by Sally Robinson and Gillian Waters. When combining the biomolecular, historical and skeletal evidence, we found that children from the workhouses in London were brought to the flax and silk mills at Blubberhouses as pauper apprentices to work long hours in the mills. Many of the children suffered nutritional deficiencies, succumbed to these and were then buried in the Fewston churchyard.
The local community worked together with the teams from York, Durham and York Osteoarchaeology to create several exhibitions, talks, a museum display, a book, a textile hanging that included a handmade square for every individual, several research articles, conference presentations and a short film about members of the local community and that of the pauper apprentices – individuals who never had a voice in their lives.
In 2016, a funeral for the remains held in the local churchyard was attended by 150 members of the local community, living descendants of the dead and researchers. A song written about the skeletons and their stories was sung by the local choir at the graveside. This collaborative project was characterised by incredible enthusiasm and dedication by all involved, which led to unexpectedly comprehensive information about this community, and a range of accessible and academic outputs.