Backyard Bones May Have Been Buried by 19th-Century Students

News October 21, 2019

(Courtesy Rebecca Crozier)
SHARE:
Scotland Garden Bones
(Courtesy Rebecca Crozier)

OLD ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND—The Evening Express reports that 115 human bone fragments recovered from a private garden in northeastern Scotland by archaeologist Alison Cameron may have been buried by medical student Alexander Creyk and his roommates, who lived on the property in the early nineteenth century. Rebecca Crozier of the University of Aberdeen said the bones came from five to seven people, two of whom were children between the ages of two and seven. “In the case of the child, we were able to tell that a hole had been drilled into the skull and I was able to match it to a particular tool,” Crozier said. A similar hole was found in the skull of an adult. In both cases, the procedure occurred after the person’s death. Carbon dating indicates the bones belonged to people who lived between 1650 and 1750. The Anatomy Act, passed in the United Kingdom in 1832, was intended to halt grave robbing and the illegal trade in corpses by regulating the study of donated human bodies. Aberdeenshire Council archaeologist Bruce Mann said Creyk and his colleagues may have buried the remains on the property to avoid legal troubles. The bones will be reburied in a cemetery close to where they were found, he added. To read about medical professionals' use of cadavers in nineteenth-century London, go to "Haunt of the Resurrection Men."

  • Features September/October 2019

    Minaret in the Mountains

    Excavations near a 12th-century tower reveal the summer capital of a forgotten Islamic empire

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project)
  • Letter from Lake George September/October 2019

    Exploring the Great Warpath

    Evidence from forts, hospitals, and taverns in upstate New York is illuminating the lives of thousands of British soldiers during the French and Indian War

    Read Article
    (Jerry Trudell the Skys the Limit/Getty Images)
  • Artifacts September/October 2019

    Roman Coin

    Read Article
    (Courtesy MOLA Headland)
  • Digs & Discoveries September/October 2019

    The Case for Clotilda

    Read Article
    (Courtesy SEARCH inc)