Cistercian Abbey of St Mary Stratford Langthorne, Essex: Archaeological Excavations for the London Underground Limited Jubilee Line Extension Project: 18 (MoLAS Monograph) - Softcover

Barber, Bruno; Chew, Steve; Dyson, T.; White, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1901992381 ISBN 13: 9781901992380

Publisher: MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), 2004

Synopsis

The Cistercian monastery of St. Mary Stratford Langthorne once stood on land south of the new Jubilee Line station at Stratford. Excavations in 1973-94 recorded large parts of the monastic church, cemetery and related buildings. Topics include the precinct arrangement, architecture and decoration, and the way of life of the inhabitants. The expansion of the monastic church from a simple cruciform building in the mid-12th century into an aisled presbytery with ambulatory and eastern chapel in the 13th century is notable. The excavated burials (647) are the largest sample from a Cistercian site in Europe and provide evidence for burial customs, patterns of cemetery use and the physical characteristics of the population, including medical care.

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Review

When Stratfords burials are correlated with the documentary evidence from the late Middle Ages, unexpected features of Cistercian life emerge. They include the monks practice of renting out parts of the precinct to laypeople, some of them married couples. Such material allows for the emergence of a clearer picture of monastic life in the often shrouded last two centuries of the orders existence.' --Speculum

About the Author

by Bruno Barber, Steve Chew, Tony Dyson and Bill White

Edition details

• Publisher: MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1901992381
• ISBN 13: 9781901992380
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 198