A Late Medieval and Tudor Horse Burial Ground: Excavations at Elverton Street, Westminster

Cowie, Robert H.; Pipe, Alan; Clark, John; Pearce, Jacqueline

doi:10.1080/00665983.1998.11078850

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Another place to expect warhorses would be in mass graves associated with battlefields, though few of these have ever been discovered (Curry & Foard, 2016). Currently, only one major medieval horse cemetery is known from England, at Elverton Street, London (Cowie et al, 1998). The preliminary assessment of the horses from this site shows articulated elements of dismembered horses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

Ameen

Benkert

Fraser

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

Ameen

Benkert

Fraser

et al. 2021

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…The Elverton Street site (longitude and latitude of −0.133 and 51.495, respectively) was unearthed during commercial excavations at two adjacent sites, 1 and 17 Elverton Street, by Museum of London Archaeology; site codes: ELV94 and EVT95) in the mid-1990s in advance of housing redevelopment ( 6 ). Within historic London, the site was positioned on the corner of Horseferry Road on the floodplain of the River Thames in a marshy area with very little archeology ( 6 ). Located ~2.5 km southwest of the walled city of London (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The medieval royal-ecclesiastical complex of Westminster lies ~0.75 km to the northeast. In the late medieval period, the area occupied by Elverton Street was common pasture within the manor of Westminster, used for grazing and occasionally fairs, banquets, combats, and tournaments ( 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excavations at Elverton Street revealed the site to be an unusual example of a horse burial ground. Across the entire site, 197 pits were found, of which 56 (28%) contained animal remains ( 6 ). The burial pits contained almost exclusively horse bones, representing articulated examples of both partial and nearly complete skeletons buried in small groups of between 1 and 8 individuals per pit ( 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across the entire site, 197 pits were found, of which 56 (28%) contained animal remains ( 6 ). The burial pits contained almost exclusively horse bones, representing articulated examples of both partial and nearly complete skeletons buried in small groups of between 1 and 8 individuals per pit ( 6 ). The excavation stratigraphy shows that the burial pits would have been clearly visible on the surface while the cemetery was in use, as there is little evidence for intercutting of the pits or any reopening or reuse of pits once closed ( 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London

Pryor,

Ameen,

Liddiard

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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This paper reports a high-resolution isotopic study of medieval horse mobility, revealing their origins and in-life mobility both regionally and internationally. The animals were found in an unusual horse cemetery site found within the City of Westminster, London, England. Enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope analysis of 15 individuals provides information about likely place of birth, diet, and mobility during the first approximately 5 years of life. Results show that at least seven horses originated outside of Britain in relatively cold climates, potentially in Scandinavia or the Western Alps. Ancient DNA sexing data indicate no consistent sex-specific mobility patterning, although three of the five females came from exceptionally highly radiogenic regions. Another female with low mobility is suggested to be a sedentary broodmare. Our results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages and highlight the importance of international trade in securing high-quality horses for medieval London elites.

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The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes

Kirkinen,

Mannermaa,

Moilanen

et al. 2024

Hist Arch

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One of the most crucial issues in the study of human–animal relations is the power of humans over animal death and how it has been processed culturally by the ways animal carcasses have been treated. In this article, the post-domestic phase in human–animal relations is entered by investigating the burial of working horses in the Finnish countryside during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Toward that end, 115 horse burials, 134 cemeteries, and 61 death places or kill sites were examined through interviews with local people, and a search of literature and place names. Six burial sites were excavated and several sites surveyed in the field. The locations of all sites were analyzed with historical maps. As a result, we consider that animal graves form a significant group of historical monuments that show great variability and are associated with past land use and human–animal relations.

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A Late Medieval and Tudor Horse Burial Ground: Excavations at Elverton Street, Westminster

Cited by 9 publications

References 5 publications

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London

The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes

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