The Churchyard

The churchyard was at its greatest extent in the 14th century and principally contained the graves of the parishioners.

The church and churchyard as it appears today © English Heritage  All of the gravestones still standing date to the 18th century and afterwards, when the church was used by the inhabitants of Thixendale. Some medieval grave-slabs have survived, re-used in the walls of the church in the 16th century.

Nearly 700 well-preserved medieval skeletons, excavated in the church and the northern part of the churchyard, have been studied by scientists and have provided detailed information about the lives of the villagers. For example, nitrogen isotope analysis has indicated that children were commonly breast-fed for up to two years, probably contributing to the relatively low incidence of infant mortality. DNA tests on skeletons showing signs of tuberculosis indicated that infection had come from other humans, perhaps in towns, rather than from the cattle with whom the medieval peasants shared their houses.

The trepanned and healed skull © English Heritage  There was also evidence that medieval surgery could be unexpectedly advanced. An 11th-century male skeleton showed a heavy blow to the head with a blunt instrument. The wound was treated by 'trepanation', the delicate cutting away of bone to relieve pressure on the brain, after which the patient evidently lived for several years.