If you think this information is inaccurate please e-mail corrections to Hertfordshire HER .

Summary

Probable burials of prisoners from the Castle gaol

Monument Types

• INHUMATION (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

• SHINE: Waytemore Castle, Bishop's Stortford

Full description

Parts of human bodies were uncovered by gardeners beneath a rose bed in the gardens of the castle in January 1999 <1, 3>. They were possibly not in their original position, but were close to a previous discovery of human remains in 1938 [4227]. The remains are presumably those of prisoners in the Castle prison [13250].
Analysis of the remains was carried out <2>. Rose bed A contained two crania, almost certainly male. One showed a deep lesion which may have been caused by a cutting edge above and from behind. Remodelling was observed but had not progressed far suggesting that the wound was treated but the patient died shortly afterwards. Only one tooth survived. The second cranium was more fragmented and had an almost full set of teeth (apart from the incisors), probably of a young adult male. They are heavily worn and suggest an abrasive diet. Rose bed B contained a single right femur. The length of the femoral head suggests a male individual. Rose bed C contained at least six individuals including a juvenile (2-4 years) and a victim of rickets. <2> suggests that these burials may come from a monastic hospital rather than the prison, but the sources for [13250] show that this is unlikely; the prison was a major one, and was used to house dissenters as well as felons and remained in use until the 1640s.
'Over the years bones have occasionally surfaced' in the area adjacent to the rose beds <4>. A few more were found in a trench at Castle Cottage, at c.TL 48950 21388, in November 2013 <4>. These were not articulated.

Information from W Wright, Letter, 16.2.2010 (Unpublished document). SHT5182.

<1> HCC site visits, VS & AH, 14.1.1999 (Verbal communication). SHT4184.

<2> Asplin, Steven A, 1999, An osteological appraisal of the human remains from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, RNO 932 (Report). SHT1833.

<3> Herts & Essex Observer, 21.1.1999; 28.1.1999; 4.2.1999 (Serial). SHT4466.

<4> Information from Alison Tinniswood (HCC), Note on site visit, 12.11.2013 (Unpublished document). SHT2902.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.