Rochester Guildhall Museum
High Street
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1PY
01634848717
Parent Organisation:
Funded by:
Local authority (Medway Council)
YLM Entry Submitted: Yes
Comments:
How many human remains are in its collection, and how many of those are of ancient British provenance, pre-Christian or in other way Pagan?:
1. Wouldham Bronze Age Burial. Excavated by the Maidstone area Archaeological Group in 1982. This was a heavily ploughed-out Bronze Age barrow, containing one cremation with a biconical urn and one crouched inhumation. The site report is in Archaeologia Cantiana 1983, p 81-108, by R J Cruse & A C Harrison. The burial was on display for over ten years at the museum, with the urn and inhumation in position, and a reconstruction of the excavator’s interpretation of a series of post-holes as either an exposure platform or mortuary house subsequently burnt as part of a funerary ritual. The skull of the inhumed individual was examined and a facial reconstruction prepared by Manchester University. This is the only excavated Bronze Age material from Medway that the museum holds. 2. Romano-British woman from Rochester. Excavated in 1974 by A C Harrison in advance of road widening & demolition of Victorian houses on Corporation Street. A trench near the City wall uncovered a Romano-British inhumation in poor condition with the legs truncated away by a medieval pit. The burial was illegal by Roman law as it occurs within the City walls, and the excavators initially considered the possibility that this was suspicious. However, the burial was respectfully done, with the body carefully laid out, wearing three bracelets & twelve bangles. The site is reported in Archaeologia Cantiana 1981, p.95-136, by A C Harrison. Some of the jewellery is on display in the Roman gallery, and the skull is occasionally shown to groups studying Romano-British history. The woman seems to have had a ‘sweet tooth’, and has significant dental caries and traces of a serious abscess. This is unusual skeletal evidence showing dietary patterns in Roman Rochester. 3. Romano-British cremations in urns. Several urns containing Romano-British cremations were purchased from workmen by George Payne, the first Director of the museum in 1906. They were dug up as part of the industrial extraction of uralite, a silicate mineral used for making asbestos & other materials. Two cremations from the Lower Shorne & Higham area are on display in their urns with other grave goods in the Roman gallery. Two others are in store, and one is with the collection used by our education officer with visiting specialist groups studying Romano-British history. Their acquisition is recorded in Payne’s notebooks, Volume II, p.432-436 (Nov 1906). 4. Anglo-Saxon skull from burials in Rochester. A small Anglo-Saxon cemetery was uncovered and dug by workmen building extensions & cellars to large Victorian houses on Watts Avenue in Rochester. George Payne made some notes & sketches during the building work. Some of the grave goods (including spearheads, shield bosses & knives) were kept, together with one skull, the rest of the human remains being deemed in too poor condition for preservation. The discovery is recorded in the Chatham News on April 26th 1896. The skull is displayed with appropriate grave goods in the Anglo-Saxon case. The burials can be interpreted as either Pagan or early Christian, Rochester being the second earliest cathedral foundation of 604CE.
Total: 10
How many of these human remains are well documented, with clear context of date and place of exhumation?:
Where there are ancestors in store, is there a history of use?:
Romano – British Woman’s – the skull of the female is retained within a glass cube and is currently held in storage. It is occasionally shown to groups studying Romano-British history. There has been some interested in the skull, as it demonstrates dietary habits in Roman Rochester. There is no history of scientific analysis.
Where there are ancestors in store, is there potential for use, in display, education or scientific analysis?
Wouldham Bronze Age remains. – The skull of the Wouldham man has been examined by facial reconstruction specialists from Manchester University, but to date there has been no ‘archaeological’ scientific analysis carried out on the bones. The skeletal remains held in storage are attached together in such a way as to hold the Wouldham man in a crouched posture. At the time of writing Rochester Guildhall Museum is awaiting funding for refurbishment and it is hoped that the Wouldham man will be placed on display once again.
Does the museum have a disposal policy, and is it including HR with negligible potential in its discussions about disposal?:No
There is a disposal policy within the museum but this does not extend to human remains. The Museum does not accept commerical archaeological archives.
What sources of information about these human remains are in the public domain and where?:
There are a number of archaeological papers written on the remains now on display/ storage in the museum. Most of the literature surrounding the archaeological remains held at the museum can be found at the Kent Archaeological Societies research room at Maidstone Museum.
Does the museum have ancestors (human remains) on display?:No
Within the museums educational facilities a Romano-British Urn with cremated contents was used for hands-on history lessons. A Christian or Pagan Anglo-Saxon skull was mounted on a wall in a display case, surrounded by grave goods. Both these are in store during refurbishment (autumn 2010).
Although the museum is confident that all their display and interactive projects with human remains are carried out with respect, a visitor in touch told HAD he had some concerns.
Does the museum hold any iconic ancestors, ie. complete skeletons with a well documented story, or those considered of national or local importance, and are these on display?:
Has the museum used or considered using replicas in displays? If not, why not and what would you find useful in moving to these? If you have, what response did these receive?:
Documents:
16 February, 2009
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