To organize the dead – stratigraphy as a source for typology in post-medieval burials

Joakim Kjellberg

This paper, presented at the VIII Nordic Meeting on Stratigraphy and the EAA meeting in Helsinki 2012, deals with the stratigraphy and typology of post- burials, primarily those encountered during excavations in the North of Ca- thedral in 2007 (Kjellberg et al 2011). This was at that time the largest excavation ever conducted inside the . The excavation resulted in a substantial amount of archa- eological data, with features such as a preserved and previously unknown medieval cellar, foundations for a medieval gallery and original floor levels, two preserved and intact bu- rial chambers and remains of more than 150 medieval and post-medieval burials. In total, the remains of 18 more or less preserved coffins, all dating to the post-reformation period, were recorded. The stratigraphical analysis revealed a chronological pattern in the deve- lopment of coffin shapes and coffin attributes. This inspired an outline for a typology that may be used as a tool for dating future finds of unstratified burials. The typology has since been tested and modified through comparison with other well-dated and documented archeological and art historical coffins from within other churches in Central . To a lesser extent comparison with materials from excavated churchyards have been made.

The excavation before he met his end on Christmas day in 1160. The choir and nave of Uppsala, along with its predeces- the gothic cathedral were completed sor Gamla (‘Old’) Uppsala, has been in the mid-14th century and building the seat for the Swedish activities continued into the late 16th from mid-12th century to present century, mostly in the western parts day. Construction of the cathedral and towers. Much of the present ap- began in about 1270, likely replacing pearance of the cathedral is predomi- a small Romanesque parish church. nantly the result of quite substantial The earlier church is believed to be restorations during the 1850s - 1870s the place where S:t Erik, the patron by the architect Helgo Zetterwall. saint of Sweden, attended mass right The cathedral itself is also the final

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Figure 1. Plan and overview of the site with features and the graves indicated. Post-reformation FRIÀQVDUHPDUNHGLQEODFNZLWKZKLWHIUDPHVZKLOHGDUNJUH\LUUHJXODUVKDSHVUHSUHVHQW LQWDFWPHGLHYDOEXULDOVDOOZLWKRXWFRIÀQVDQGGDWHGWRWKHSHULRGEHIRUHWKHFRQVWUXFWLRQRIWKH transept in the 14th century. Contexts mentioned in the following text are numbered A3-A6.

resting place for what is thought ous installations were to be placed to be more than 3000 individuals, such as restrooms and facilities for buried between the 13th to the early visitors and staff. Prior and parallel 19th century (Lovén 2010). to the excavations in 2007 the so- called Huselius research project had The 2007 excavation covered more been carried out at Upplandsmu- or less the whole of the North tran- seet. The project involved a num- sept, in total about 90 m2 with a vo- ber of scholars and experts from lume exceeding 180 m3. The reason various disciplines to present diffe- for excavating was the building of rent aspects of the cathedral and its a platform to support a new choir history from the 12th to 19th cen- organ. Beneath the platform vari- turies. The project and researchers

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have been an enormously valuable new type of foundation that allo- resource during the project, especi- wed for some of the subterranean ally in establishing a chronological structures to be preserved, as well framework for the excavations. The as a limited osteological analysis to results of the Huselius project have be conducted along with a specia- been published in 6 volumes as part lized recording of some of the en- of the series Sveriges kyrkor (Upp- countered textile material (Kjellberg sala domkyrka 1-6 2010). et al 2011). The downside was that it was not possible to get full cost In 2007 the historical records of use coverage for a complete documenta- for this part of the cathedral were tion and preservation of the coffins still unprocessed and no previous themselves, nor a full osteological excavations had been carried out. analysis or future access to the re- Ground-penetrating radar had been deposited bones. On the request of used a few years earlier to evaluate the Archdiocese, all skeletons and potential underground structures, recorded parts of coffins were pla- though the results were limited and ced in new containers, re-interred in inconclusive. For these reasons, be- a sealed but newly discovered med- fore the start of the excavations, our ieval cellar under the new concrete knowledge of previous construc- floor at the end of the excavation. tions and activities in the transept could be described as limited at best. Furthermore the excavation 7KHFRIÀQVIURP8SSVDOD permit from the County Adminis- Cathedral trative Board was very generally formulated, lacking regulations and A total of 18 post-reformation buri- costs regarding the conservation of als with more or less preserved cof- artifacts and preservation of structu- fins were encountered in relatively res on site (Kjellberg 2011). There hasty circumstances, dating from at was unfortunately no adequate re- least the early 17th century to the search plan formulated at the onset late 18th century. The material con- of the project, and the resources set sist of the remains of 14 adults and 4 aside for archeological and osteolo- children (Bäckström 2011). All were gical analysis and presentation were in-terred in so called ”mull-gravar”, limited. This soon became a pro- without masonry constructions blem that grew bigger as a rich and costly archeological material was although originally marked with a uncovered daily causing a strained stone slab. The coffins and skeletal relationship with the contractor. Af- material were in varying condition. ter some compromises on both si- The coffins were in most cases in- des, the contractor agreed to change tact but caved in. In some cases they the construction plans and adopt a were only partly preserved due to

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mechanical tear from more recent One of the two burial chambers (A3 burials and constructions. in fig.1 & 2) was important for esta- blishing the chronology. From writ- Even though there is a surprisingly ten records the chamber was recog- large amount of written sources nized as belonging to the astronomy from the post-reformation period professor Anders Spole who had it in the cathedral, we have limited built sometime between 1679 and knowledge of who was buried in prior to his death in 1699. The bu- the North transept. Though we rial chamber was not opened during have some names from the so cal- the excavations, as it was to be pre- led grave plans from the mid 17th- served beneath the new concrete flooring. There had been coffin-sha- century onwards (Bengtsson 2010) ped niches made in the brickwork at it is almost impossible to link the the time of its construction, likely graves on the plans to the archeolo- to avoid damaging the foot end of gical record directly. The exception previous burials nearby. Another is the burial chambers and the grave key to the chronology was derived of a Norwegian tradesman by the from the coffin of Martin Wärn (S9 name of Martin Wärn. He died of in fig.1 & 2) dated to 1748. The sudden fever in 1748 and was iden- foundations for the medieval gallery tified from an engraved brass mount and adjoining cellar (A4-6 in fig.1 still attached to the head end of the & 2) gave the framework of an ear- coffin. liest possible dating of the coffins to 1440-1445 (Lovén 2010). We therefore had to rely almost completely on the archeological It was noticed that the shapes and observations to get some understan- styles of the coffins varied substan- ding of the chronological develop- tially and seemingly systematically ment of the site. Unfortunately the over time. The need for a system of possibilities for keeping a good and recording the coffin shapes on site tidy stratigraphical record was so- was soon apparent, as the coffins mewhat limited, since the material were held together mainly by the surrounding the coffins consisted of earth surrounding them and subse- 2 meters of building debris, loose quently were destroyed during the sand and gravel overturned so many process of excavation. This record times that almost no original strata was later transferred directly in to was recognizable anywhere. Instead the Harris matrix during analysis. we had to turn to other observa- When we compared the shapes of tions, such as contacts, superposi- coffins to the stratigraphic sequence tioning and relations of the coffins a clear line of development could be to other on-site features. discerned.

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The data Wallenbom & Edlund 2004, Tages- son & Westerlund 2004), art-histo- To widen the somewhat narrow rical surveys of churches and burial basis of the Domkyrkan typology chambers (Nygren 1957, Olsson and to validate its use on other si- 1936) as well as conservation re- tes it was necessary to incorporate cords (Zetterström 2010). similar material from other parts of Sweden, a task which proved more In most cases only some attributes challenging than expected. The could be recorded for each coffin, number of easily accessible and well making the number of completely dated materials are small. The re- recorded coffins very small. For a gistration of individual burials (and relatively large number of archeo- especially the recording of coffins) logically recorded coffins, especially are at times disorganized and frag- from churchyards, the outer shape mented even within one excavation. of the coffins and mostly only the This makes it virtually impossible to grave cut could be recognized. Sub- get an overview of the material from sequently, the somewhat “rougher” different sites without the frame graveyard materials have only been work of time consuming re-proces- partly included in this study since sing of records. The material that has the material is awaiting further ana- been gathered for this article con- lysis. The material from art-histori- sists of archeological sources in and cal surveys and conservation reports around churches as well as church- includes outer coffins in lead, cop- yards (e.g. Jonsson 2009, Bäckström per and other metals. The greater & Ingvarsson –Sundström 2010, part of coffins in the study are made

Figure 2, left. Harris matrix showing the stratigraphic relations of the burials in connection to PRUHZHOOGDWHGVWUXFWXUHV VKRZQZLWKJUH\ÀOOLQJ 

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of wood, however sometimes clad and Martin Olsson in the mid-20th with different fabrics and/or pain- century. The establishing of a new ted. The registration is therefore so- table was a necessity to coherently mewhat reduced to basic shapes and summarize and structuralize the main features which are relevant in material as they were all registered both cases. When both outer and in different ways. To date, the com- inner coffins exist, as in several of plete list of stratigraphically or his- the coffins from Badelunda church torically well dated coffins includes (Nygren 1957), both have been re- more than 90 entries, statistically gistered as separate coffins. speaking still quite a small number. New material has continually been The material has been systemati- added, and hopefully this number cally collected and is summarized in will increase even further as other a registration table similar to that of materials are discovered. the archeological record from Dom- kyrkan. The table from Domkyrkan was extended to include informa- Typology tion about cross-sections and vari- ous attributes used in the excellent From the complete material, inclu- records from Badelunda church and ding the coffins from Domkyrkan, Riddarholmskyrkan by Nils Nygren it is possible to outline a typology

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of changes in coffin shapes and att- especially in the later examples. In- ributes during the post-reformation ner coffins of type 1 and 2 are found period. in outer coffins of type 3 and 4. Type 3 is a hexagonal hybrid type Through analyzing the complete between 2 and 4 and seems to have listing it has been possible to divide been in use for a rather limited peri- the material into six general types. od during the later part of 17th cen- The types is based mainly on the tury. Type 3 is, together with the late plan- and cross-section shapes of forms of type 2 coffins, the first gro- coffins. up that shows any curved lines and profiled carvings, predominantly on Coffins of type 1, together with type the lids of the coffins. Type 4 is a 2, are the oldest form of coffin in rhomboid or hexagonal coffin with this period, going back well into the a wide foot end, more than half the (Kieffer-Olsen 1993, width of the head side gable. There Jonsson 2009). Type 2 is relatively are also an increasing amount of common and long-lived, remaining coffins with curved shapes in both in use during the entire 17th cen- plan- and cross-section. Type 5 is a tury. Type 2 is also, together with hybrid shape showing features from type 3, the first showing an increa- both types 4 and 6, still with a wide sing amount of decorated handles, foot end but incorporating a wider

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and rougher profiled ridge along the the early-modern period. The first lids from type 6. Type 6 is another and second group clearly are set in a long-lived shape and is also the latest medieval tradition while the shapes in the material. These lancet-shaped of groups 3, 4 and 5 clearly link to coffins of type 6 have a narrow foot the general and fashionable forms of end, less than half the width of the the early Baroque. The more elong- head side gable, and often showing ated and slimmer shapes of group 6 curved lines along the body along dating from the 18th century on- with elaborate profiling of the edge- wards might best be described as works and high-rising integrated and late Baroque and later on even neo- decorated feet. No inner coffins were classical shapes. registered in coffins of type 6.This form is represented throughout the Of course the archeological material 18th century until abandonment of from the excavations in Uppsala ca- the custom of interment inside chur- thedral and other places contains a ches in Sweden. This also seems to be lot more information of importance the form most commonly represen- for further studies but to fully co- ted in the archeological record from ver all these aspects is however too churchyards. Most likely because its big a challenge for this article. With long period of use and because it of- increasing numbers of coherently ten represents the last stage of burials registered and well-dated coffins, be (e.g. Kjellberg 2010). it by stratigraphy or other sources, it will be possible to narrow some The study also showed that there gaps in the sequences from the were more detailed developments in complex settings often encountered coffin attributes, such as feet, hand- in and around churches. Alongside les and ornaments, to be recognized the records of osteological material, in the material. Especially the in- the study of coffins and other fune- troduction of standardized handles rary objects has a potential to give a around 1650 and the increased use fuller understanding of the identity of externally mounted ornaments and mind-sets of any population, al- from the 18th century were appa- beit this time a population of presu- rent. The transition from pegged and med high social status ranging from ball- shaped feet into the elaborately about the 16th to the 19th century. carved and integrated feet from the mid-18th century were also obvious. Special thanks to Robin Lucas for revising the English text.

Joakim Kjellberg. PhD student at the dep. Finishing touch of Archaeology and Ancient History at and archaeologist at It is clear that the shapes of coffins . English revised by Robin in general have been influenced by Lucas, Upplandsmuseet. changes in style and fashion during E-post: [email protected]

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Referenser

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