Bedlam is London’s original municipal burial ground. It dates from 1569 up to 1738,. Archeologists are currently excavating it before the ticket office at Liverpool Street Station is constructed on top. Scientists who specialize in bones, osteologists say that the information they collect from 3 ,000skeletons will allow them to better understand how the plague strain evolved. The Great Plague that struck London in 1665, occurred 350 many years ago. It was estimated to have killed about 100,000 people, or nearly one-quarter of London’s population. For the next four week, sixty archaeologists will work six days per week in shifts. After studying the bones, scientists expect to discover more about plague strains. Crossrail Image. The Museum of London Archeology is conducting the excavation on Crossrail Ltd.’s behalf. Crossrail Ltd. is a company building the (118milekm) railway line in central London and Greater London. Crossrail claims that Bedlam in London is the most important 16th or 17th-century cemetery. Bedlam covers nearly 200 years, starting with the British Empire’s birth, through the Civil Wars, Shakespeare’s plays and the Great Fire of London. There were also many plagues that plagued the capital. Jay Carver is Crossrail’s chief archaeologist. He said that “this excavation offers a unique chance to understand the lives of 16th as well as 17th-century Londoners.” This fascinating period of London’s history includes the transformation from Tudor-period City to cosmopolitan, early-modern London. “This excavation is most likely the first opportunity for archaeologists in London to examine a sample this large from that time. Sixty archaeologists will be working six days a week during March, in shifts. They are representing a wide range of social classes and areas. Image: Crossrail. Nick Elsden is the Museum of London Archeology’s Project Manager. He stated that Crossrail will provide archaeologists with rare opportunities to explore and study parts of London not normally accessible. This includes details about how Londoners lived at that time, what their diet was, where they moved, and the demography. Once Osteologists have completed tests on the Museum’s excavated bones, the bones will be placed in a sacred burial ground. Below the skeletons: A Roman road. After collecting the skeletons for four weeks, archaeologists will search deeper to find roman remains or medieval marsh deposits. Below the Bedlam cemetery are the ruins of an ancient road. The archaeologists are hoping to discover some fascinating artifacts. Already, they have found horseshoes as well as cremation urns. They will dig four layers beneath Liverpool Street. Each layer represents a different period in history. Crossrail Image. By September 2015,, all excavations will have been completed and Laing O’Rourke, the contractor will build the Eastern ticket hall. Crossrail stated that there will be a series of events over the next months to inform the public about exciting discoveries that we will uncover as we dig through London’s history at Liverpool Street. This was the first municipal cemetery in London and it was used by both those who couldn’t afford a proper church burial, as well as people who chose to rest there for political or religious reasons. It was used as an “overflow” for cemeteries that were unable to cope during high mortality rates such as plague outbreaks and epidemics. Levellers were part of an political movement during the Civil Wars that believed equality before the laws, religious tolerance and expanded suffrage. Bedlam was the burial place for famous Levellers like John Lilburn or Robert Lockyer. Crossrail, which is overseeing the UK’s largest archaeological project, now has over 10,000 artefacts and fossils dug up from under the ground at more than 40 construction sites in London, some of them dating back 55 million years. Crossrail video: Jay Carver discusses the excavation at Liverpool Street.
