Cross Bones facts for kids
Cross Bones gate, September 2014
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | Earliest mention 1598 |
| Closed | 1853 |
| Location |
Redcross Way, Southwark, south London, SE1
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| Country | England |
| Owned by | Transport for London (as of 2014) |
| No. of graves | Up to 15,000 |
Cross Bones is a disused post-medieval burial ground on Redcross Way in Southwark, south London. Up to 15,000 people are believed to have been buried there. It was closed in 1853.
Cross Bones is thought to have been established originally as an unconsecrated graveyard. The area lay outside the jurisdiction of the City of London and as a consequence became known for its theatres. By 1769 it had become a pauper's cemetery servicing St. Saviour's parish.
Closure and sale
The graveyard was closed in 1853 because it was "completely overcharged with dead". According to Southwark writer John Constable, the land was sold as a building site in 1883. Constable writes that the sale was declared null and void the following year under the Disused Burial Grounds Act 1884, and that subsequent attempts to develop the site were opposed by local people. After removal of remains to the parish facilities in Brookwood, Surrey, the site was covered in warehousing and other commercial buildings.
Excavation
Excavations were conducted on the land by the Museum of London Archaeology Service between 1991 and 1998 in connection with the construction of London Underground's Jubilee line. Southwark Council reports that the archaeologists found a highly overcrowded graveyard. Tests showed those buried had suffered from smallpox, tuberculosis, Paget's disease, osteoarthritis, and vitamin D deficiency.
A dig in 1992 uncovered 148 graves, dating from between 1800 and 1853.
Images for kids
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Material affixed to the Cross Bones gate
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Objects left inside the Cross Bones garden
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