Skeletal Remains Discovered in London Burial Site, Revealing Toxic Surroundings

Life might have been tough these days at the UK, but the unusual discovery of a new archaeological excavation have evoked us that it was much worse a couple hundred years ago.
100 skeletal remains were discovered at an early 19th-century graveyard at the New Covent Garden market in south-west London, believed by archaeologists to hold proof of exhausting working conditions, toxic environment, aboriginal infections, physical deformities, malnourishments and deadly violence.
The site generally depicts early industrial London life between the 30s and 50s of the 19^th century, which were so accurately illustrated in Charles Dickens’ books, full of life harshness for the industrial poor.

Source: Wessex Archaeology

The Wessex Archaeology conducted the excavation within the place of the New Covent Garden Market, Nine Elms, when they unearthed the bodies of those possibly described in Dickens’ work, who might be among the first “modern” Londoners. They said that the people buried had led “a life of drudgery and just-about surviving.”
The burial site belonged to the church of St George the Martyr. It had been partly emptied in the 60s of the previous century, just before the construction of the new market, having relocated from its original site in central London.
Over a few years, this place has greatly transformed into a heavily industrialized and urbanized area from just a rural market garden, with hideous factories and noxious gases, together with gasworks, big railway depots and construction around.

Source: Wessex Archaeology

One member of the Wessex Archaeology said: “The surrounding assortment of noxious, dangerous and labor-intensive industries would have made for very poor working and living conditions, although great numbers of people continued to flock to the area to take advantage of work opportunities. Most of those trying to survive in and around the area would have been classed as poor or very poor.”
High levels of chronic infections, including endemic syphilis, were detected at the site. In particular, the whole cemetery provides intriguing intuition.
For example, one burial site showed a woman who had suffered lifelong congenital syphilis and had an arduous working life involving heavy use of her upper arms and shoulders. The woman, according to the archaeologists, was assaulted from behind, having her right ear stabbed with a thin blade, like a stiletto dagger, and was then murdered, due to her broken nose and a skull wound.

Source: Wessex Archaeology

In another grave, archaeologists discovered a man once 6 ft. tall, having a distinctive look with a flattened nose and a depression on his left brow, suggesting “several violent altercations.” The man’s knuckles depict marks of boxing fights, which might be the cause of his death: by bare-knuckle fighting, during the period prior to the adoption of boxing gloves.
Archaeologists also added that “he would have had a less-than-winning smile” as they found that the skeletal remains were missing both front teeth, possibly because of an enormous cyst on the roof of his mouth, and the man probably suffered from syphilis.
Additionally, archaeologists suggested a shocking discovery of high child mortality rate at the time, as about 40% of the graves belonged to under-12 children, one of which evoked sorrows, having a coffin denoting that the little girl Jane Clara died just before her 2^nd birthday, possibly because of malnutrition.

Source: Wessex Archaeology

Being the UK’s largest fresh-produce market, New Covent Garden’s 175 businesses have more than 2,500 workers within the area that is being greatly redeveloped with new buildings and facilities. The discovery of the burial site underneath what was a car park surprised archaeologists, as they thought it had been fully emptied in the 1960s.
H/T: Wessex Archaeology