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Plague pits, mass graves for the victims of epidemics rife in the past, have
been discovered in this Borough, probably due to its proximity to the City.
Consequently much time has been spent by the inspectors at St. Mary's at Bow
churchyard. Tower Hamlets Cemetery, and at the site of the former Brunswick
Methodist Chapel in Limehouse.
Evidence in the vaults at St Mary's indicated that these premises had been
not only popular with eighteenth century body snatchers. but that it had been
frequent practice in those days to inter sawdust filled coffins without bodies.
It is also believed that some of the vaults were disturbed by potential thieves,
encouraged by rumours that jewellery and valuables had been buried with local
dignitaries.
The work of supervising such exhumations may seem to be uncongenial, but in
fact it stimulates the imagination and enables one to speculate what life was
like so many years ago.
The human remains found were in fact in varying stages of decomposition
according to ground conditions and whether or not the bodies had been buried in
coffins and if so whether of lead or timber Some bodies were found wrapped
in lead and other had been wholly or partially embalmed before interment The
embalmed bodies were found to be in good condition. The vaults in the Brunswick
Chapel contained many well preserved babies and infants, and one coffin contained
a mother who had died while giving birth to triplets She was buried holding a
child in her arms and still retaining the others in her womb The graveyard at
this site was found to contain about 1,200 bodies in a small area but to a depth
of over 10 ft., this meant that as with the other sites, the exhumation required
many months of arduous work Many bodies unearthed were without coffins and had
been literally heaped into the pit. This was probably a communal "plague pit"
which provided a rapid means of removing the victims of an early nineteenth
century epidemic On this evidence it can readily be said that the exhumations
are carried out in a more reverent manner than the original burials. As
the remains in the pit were unearthed the bodies were easily fragmented and the
only reliable means of ascertaining the number of dead removed, was to count
the lower jaw bones collected.
During the excavations on the various sites many clay pipes were discovered
presumably used by the gravediggers while about their work One was of particul ar
interest as the base of the pipe bowl featured a football, of a design associated
with the era around the turn of the 18th century (see photographs)
In addition to exhumations bodies are regularly transported to other countries
for burial for reasons of religious beliefs; an inspector must ensure that the body
is hermetically sealed in a zinc lined coffin It must also be certified that the
deceased was not suffering from an infectious disease.
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