Investigating Botanical Tributes in Post-Medieval British Burials: Archaeological Evidence from Three Burial Grounds

Abstract

AbstractArchaeological evidence from Britain shows botanical inclusions formed part of the post-medieval funeral. Findings from the analysis of three burial grounds consider the extent of demographic, socioeconomic, and local variation in the manner of tributes. Twenty-six of 1431 excavated burials showed evidence for flowers placed inside or bouquets or wreaths placed on top of the coffins, and adults and children had received botanical tributes. The use of tributes increased during the later nineteenth century but local variation existed in the manner and extent of botanical tributes adopted but trends can be affected by biases introduced by preservation and survival between different sites.