This thesis documents dental maturation in a mid C18, early C19 population where age at death is known (N=63, age range birth and 5.4 years). Emphasis is placed on the mineralization of individual deciduous and certain permanent teeth. In the first part of this thesis, the literature on dental maturation is reviewed with special reference to radiographic studies of populations, methodology and statistical analysis. Quantitative data on developing teeth, population differences and age estimation are also reviewed. In the second part of the thesis the Spitalfields material is described and used to investigate the accuracy of five types of age estimating methods that make use of the developing dentition. It emerges that the atlas method of Schour and Massler (1941) predicted age best. The third part of the thesis documents dental development in the Spitalfields Collection. New data for human deciduous anterior teeth and early stages of permanent anterior teeth are presented. In this study, few permanent anterior tooth crowns were complete before 5 years of age, contrary to published data from radiographic studies. Alveolar eruption of deciduous teeth and measurements of tooth length and weight are presented and discussed in context with published standards. The fourth part of this thesis is a preliminary investigation of cranial and postcranial development in this population. The fifth part is an appendix of data.