Ten things about Crossbones Graveyard
by John Constable
1. In his 1598 Survey of London, historian John Stow mentions a Single Woman's churchyard for medieval sex workers who were 'excluded from Christian burial' (John Stow, A Survey of London: written in 1598, republished Sutton Publishing, 2005). Ironically, the brothels - or stews – that operated within Bankside's Liberty of the Clink were licensed by the Bishop of Winchester under an Ordinance signed in 1161 by Thomas Becket! The women of the stews enjoyed a measure of protection from their Bishop and became known as 'Winchester Geese'.
2. A long-established tradition links John Stow's Single Woman's churchyard with the Crossbones burial ground. In 1833, William Taylor wrote: “There is an unconsecrated burial ground known as the Cross Bones at the corner of Redcross Street, formerly called the Single Woman's burial ground...” (William Taylor, Annals of St Mary Overie, London, Nichols & Son, 1833).
3. By Victorian times, Cross Bones was a pauper's burial ground on Redcross Way (then Street), a cholera-infested slum where policemen feared to tread!
4. Cross Bones closed in 1853. It was said to be 'completely overcharged with dead'; and that 'further burials' would be 'inconsistent with a due regard for the public health and public decency' (Brickley and Miles, The Cross Bones Burial Ground, MoLAS monograph 3, 1999). In 1883, it was sold as a building site, prompting Lord Brabazon to write: '… with a view to save this ground from such desecration, and to retain it as an open space for the use and enjoyment of the people.' (Lord Brabazon, letter to The Times 10th November 1883). The sale was declared null and void, under the Disused Burial Grounds Act (1884).
5. The graveyard was long forgotten when, in the 1990s, London Underground built an electricity substation for the Jubilee Line Extension. Museum of London archaeologists removed 148 skeletons. Their report estimated that these were: 'less than 1% of the total number of burials' (Brickley and Miles). This would indicate up to 15,000 burials.
6. Some of the skeletons were exhibited at the Museum's 1998 London Bodies exhibition, including: '… a young woman's syphilitic skull with multiple erosive lesions, from Red Cross Way, Southwark, 18th century.' Forensic tests revealed that the woman was 4ft 7in tall, aged 16-19 (Dr David Green, Cross Bones Burial Ground: Unearthing the lives of the Southwark poor). Nearly 70% of the skeletons found at Cross Bones were those of children (Brickley and Miles).
7. Its lost history resurfaced in the visionary verses of The Southwark Mysteries by John Constable “… revealed by The Goose to John Crow at Crossbones... on the night of 23 November 1996” (John Constable, The Southwark Mysteries, Oberon Books, 1999; reprinted 2011). The cycle of Mystery Plays was first performed in Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Cathedral on 23 April 2000 (revived in 2010), and inspired many other site-specific works.
8. The Halloween of Cross Bones is a ritual drama, conducted every Halloween from 1998 to 2010. The performance of poems and songs from The Southwark Mysteries climaxes in a candlelit procession to the gates, which are hung with mementos and ribbons bearing the names of the dead.
9. A Vigil has been held at the gates in Redcross Way since 23 June 2004, to renew the shrine and to 'honour the outcast, dead and alive'.
10. Friends of Crossbones and other supporters worked with Bankside Open Spaces Trust to create a garden of remembrance on the site of the burial ground. In 2014 Transport for London (TfL) granted a temporary lease and the garden opened to the public in 2015.
Read more about Crossbones Graveyard from John Constable via https://crossbones.org.uk/
Crossbones Garden now, and the future
Since Bankside Open Spaces Trust became involved in Crossbones Graveyard in 2015 we have supported public openings and care for the garden by recruiting volunteer wardens and gardeners. Our staff also support events and activities on the site and work with local campaigners for the garden’s long term protection.
In 2021 together we secured a 30 year lease for Crossbones Graveyard. This lease was granted as an integral part of the planning process for the building development next to Crossbones Graveyard. This development, The Liberty by Landsec, also include the enhancement of Crossbones Graveyard. Changes to the garden are being developed through community consultations and in discussion with our Crossbones Steering Group, to find out more subscribe to the Crossbones Bulletin or email crossbones@bost.org.uk.