A Biocultural Approach to Understanding the Presence of Children from Medieval Hospitals in England: What Can We Learn from Archaeological Investigations?

The revival of monasticism in the eleventh century promoted greater seclusion of monks and the re-positioning of care offered to the community. The increasing prevelance of leprosy also prompted the development of hospitals as independent foundations. These factors contributed to the establishment of over 1000 hospitals in England during the medieval period (AD 1050–1550). Documentary evidence relating to the inhabitants of these sites, particularly non-adults, is scarce. Over the past twenty years, archaeological excavations and bioarchaeological studies of medieval hospital cemeteries across England, have produced an increasing body of evidence which is revealing new information about hospital inhabitants. This paper will provide an overview of current approaches to the study of non-adults buried at medieval hospitals from historical, archaeological and bioarchaeological perspectives. Consideration is given to the theoretical and scientific advances in these areas, and the potential of osteological methods to enhance our knowledge of non-adults in hospital populations.