While we have been working on the dig, Hans, the cemetery's de facto groundskeeper, has been keeping up the maintenance of the site, as well as repairing gravestones (on his own as well as with certain members of the dig team). Hans's work has led to some unexpected (in the sense that he wasn't looking for them; they're not particularly surprising given the site) archaeological finds. The artifacts in these photos were found during the restoration of the Yerks gravestones (which I will feature in a future post - it's really amazing to see them back in place). Above, you can see a sherd of salt-glazed stoneware (upper left), the tines of what looks like a hoe or a rake, and some transfer-printed porcelain. I am not sure what the blue and gray striped ceramic sherd is, but it looks similar in style (if not color) to this sherd found under the gravestone of Derinda Yerks.
Also discovered at the base of Derinda's gravestone: this coffin handle, possibly dating to the year of her death in 1856 (assuming it belonged to her coffin). We have no intention of excavating any mortuary artifacts, and thus the coffin handle will be reburied where it was found. However, it's still an interesting artifact, as well as a poignant reminder of the role that the site played for 170 years as an active cemetery.
I've recently been watching some episodes of the old 'Jim Henson's The Storyteller' TV series on YouTube, and one of them is called 'Hans, My Hedgehog.' As you might imagine, the image of a half human/half hedgehog creature called Hans lends a certain colour to the name. Connection, connections...
ReplyDeleteOn a more practical note, the blue and grey sherd looks very much like the sort of stuff that certain factories in Stoke on Trent specialised in through the second half of the twentieth century - inexpensive, everyday tableware. And do you have a plausible explanation for how Mrs Yerks's coffin handle might have become detached from the casket and ended up at a higher level?
Funny, Hans my Hedgehog was one of my favorite stories in the book of Grimms' fairy tales illustrated by Maurice Sendak that I had as a child. I'd never made the connection before, though!
ReplyDeleteAfter 150 years it's possible that there's nothing left of the Yerks casket. Since the grave is close to the trees, it could have been displaced by the roots, or by rodent burrows. The digging of other graves could also have disturbed the soil, or erosion could have narrowed the distance from the surface to the grave. It's not uncommon for things buried below the surface to work their way to the top, which is how even very old things can turn into surface finds.
How interesting. So does this mean that bits of Mrs Yerks might work their way to the top? And I wonder how long it will be before I become a surface find. Hope you're there with your camera.
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