Guildford Museum / Guildford Heritage Services
Castle Arch
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3SX
01483444756
Website: http://www.guildford.gov.uk/GuildfordWeb/Leisure/GuildfordMuseum/
Parent Organisation:
Funded by:
Guildford Borough Council
YLM Entry Submitted: Yes
Comments:
I believe we filled this questionnaire in last year?
If it is the same one then I can confirm that all details on that submission are still correct for this year.
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?:
The collections at Guildford Museum include the remains of 85 individuals. Two are of known Prehistoric date, and one (a skull found on a river bed) is possible Prehistoric. Eight sets of remains date from the early Roman period. All of these are cremations and are thus assumed to be Pagan. One skull is also said to date from the Roman period, although this could well be Saxon. 63 sets of remains date from the Saxon period. The reason this number is so large is that the museum holds the results of two excavations from the Goblin Works site, Ashtead, excavated prior to development in the late 1980s. Of the 63, 19 are from individuals not associated with the Goblin Works excavations, mostly either stay finds or small scale excavations. The religion of most is unclear. Of the 44 individuals from the Goblin Works excavations, 18 are thought to have been Pagan (found with associated grave goods) and 12 are assumed to have been Christians (the site was originally used as a Pagan graveyard, and was then reused as an execution cemetery after conversion to Christianity). he religion cannot be guessed at for the remaining 14. Three sets of remains date from the Medieval period, all originating from excavations at the site of a friary in Guildford. The dating of the remaining seven sets of remains is unknown.
Total: 85
How many of these human remains are well documented, with clear context of date and place of exhumation?:
The Goblin Works excavations have been published in the Surrey Archaeological Collections (Vols 79 + 81). All the other sets of remains have well documented provenance except for one whole skull (recorded as ‘stray find’), 1 part of a skull (similarly recorded) and one fragment of a skull, with no other information provided.
Where there are ancestors in store, is there a history of use?:
The Goblin Works remains have been studied and published, as have the remains from the Guildford Friary excavation. Some of the cremation burials have been displayed in the past, inside their urns. Some other examples of human bones are occasionally used to illustrate talks or for education purposes.
Where there are ancestors in store, is there potential for use, in display, education or scientific analysis?
The museums feels that all of the remains houses in the collections have a potential for use, however it is acknowledged that this is true for some more than others. Cremation burials (with urns) have the greatest potential for display, while the remains from the Goblin Works are considered important for future study. It is believed that remains such as the unprovenanced fragment of skull have a low potential for use.
Does the museum have a disposal policy, and is it including HR with negligible potential in its discussions about disposal?:Yes
The museum does have a disposal policy. The question of disposal of these remains has never come up, although the museum is willing to discuss disposal of human remains in the same way it is willing to discuss disposal of any object in its collection. In 1985 the remains of 113 people excavated from the Guildford Friary site were reburied in a local churchyard. This site was chosen specifically because it was the parish church the individuals would have been buried in had they not been interred at the friary, and it was felt that it was the only building in Guildford that those reburied woudl still recognise (with the possible exception of the castle).
What sources of information about these human remains are in the public domain and where?:
Publications in the Surrey Archaeological Society Collections, the museums catalogue (available to the public upon request), and through the curatorial staff. The museum is currently (Feb 2009) developing a database with the long term aim of making the records available online.
Does the museum have ancestors (human remains) on display?:Yes
The museum currently (Feb 2009) has one finger bone from the friary site excavations on display, in a case with other objects from the site. It was decided to display the bone as the body was found wearing a ring, unusual for the period, and it was hoped that by displaying the bone and ring together it could be shown that not all Christian burials are without grave goods. The bone is stained by the ring, and it was felt that displaying them together was preferable to separating them. However the display was originally set up some time ago and it is now not known if the curator would do so again.
We have had no contact from local Pagan groups and no feedback from other groups.
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?:
We don’t have anything like Lindow Man, but the Goblin Works excavations are probably the closest examples to ‘iconic’ remains.
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:
10 June, 2022
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