Mass burial site unearthed by Crossrail

A mass burial site has been unearthed at Crossrail’s Liverpool Street site.

It is suspected that the burial site contains 30 victims of the great plague of 1665, based on the discovery of a headstone nearby marked ‘1665’, and the fact that the individuals appear to have been buried on the same day.

Crossrail Lead Archaeologist Jay Carver said: “The construction of Crossrail gives us a rare opportunity to study previously inaccessible areas of London and learn about the lives and deaths of 16th and 17th century Londoners."

For more on this story, read RAIL 782, published on September 2.