Yes / In 2015, a previously unknown enclosed settlement and burial ground was found near the summit of a low hill in Ranelagh townland, just north of Roscommon town. The site—officially designated Ranelagh 1, and hereafter referred to variously as ‘the Ranelagh site’, ‘the site at Ranelagh’ or simply ‘Ranelagh’—was excavated over a 54-week period by Excavation Director Shane Delaney for Irish Archaeological Consultancy (IAC) Ltd between October 2015 and October 20161 . Excavations revealed that the site was established during the fourth century AD; for over 1,000 years, until the final phase of burial activity proper concluded there shortly after AD 1400, the site would have been a prominent feature in both the geographical and psychological landscape of the time. Cillín (children’s) burials continued at the site until about AD 1650, further asserting this prominence.

Yes / Objective: This project sought to investigate whether an association may be observed between isotopic stress indicators and skeletal evidence of pathological conditions. Materials: Deciduous and permanent teeth of 15 non-adults from two contemporaneous mid-19th century London burial grounds (City Bunhill, Lukin Street). Methods: δ13C and δ15N was measured in the incrementally sectioned dentine collagen. Isotopic profiles for each individual included death during tooth development. Results: Individuals with skeletal evidence of chronic pathological conditions (e.g., rickets, tuberculosis) exhibited raised δ15N values of 0.5-1.7‰ in the months prior to death. Isotopic change consistent with chronic physiological stress prior to death was also recorded in two individuals with no skeletal evidence of disease. An offset was observed between co-forming bone and dentine δ15N values in both populations, indicating that bone and dentine are not recording the same isotopic changes. Conclusions: Isotopic change consistent with chronic physiological stress was observed in both those with and without skeletal evidence of disease, suggesting that adaptation to chronic stress in childhood was not uncommon within these 19th century London populations. Significance: Chronic physiological stress prior to death may be seen in the incrementally sampled dentine of non-adults who die during tooth formation. Limitations: The temporal resolution of current dentine micro-sampling methods may mask or minimise visibility of shorter-term periods of stress or dietary change. Suggestions for further research: Future research should further explore the relationship between specific skeletal pathologies and isotopic evidence for stress.

Objective This project reconstructs the early life history of the child in industrial London using incremental dentine analysis of both adults (survivors) and children (non-survivors) within a single 19th century London burial population to investigate the effects which changing social and economic conditions during Industrialisation had on their diet, health, and quality of life. Materials & Methods Macroscopic analysis was performed on the excavated assemblage (n=514) of New Bunhill Fields burial ground, Southwark, London (1821-53) to identify those with skeletal evidence of childhood stress (LEH, rickets, residual rickets) who were suitable for isotopic analysis. Radiographic analysis of the dental pulp chamber was also performed on these individuals to identify childhood vitamin D deficiency. A total of 20 adults (20/157) and 22 non-adults (22/357) were chosen for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope analysis. Incremental dentine analysis was performed on the first permanent molar and isotopic profiles were created spanning from birth until tooth completion/death during tooth development. Results The isotopic data indicated that adult and non-adult diet was consistent with that observed in other 19th century London burial populations. Evidence for breastfeeding was widespread amongst survivors and non-survivors. Radiographic results indicated that vitamin D deficiency during early childhood was much more prevalent within the burial group than skeletal evidence suggested, and it was observed more frequently in those who survived into adulthood (80%) than in those who died during childhood (42%). Concurrent evidence of isotopic physiological stress with LEH formation was observed in some but not all individuals. A pattern of opposing co-variance was observed often in early infancy, most frequently in non-survivors, and isotopic evidence for physiological stress was also observed in the final dentine increments of some who died during tooth development. There was a tentative association observed between adult age-at-death and skeletal stress indicators in early childhood, where the average age-at-death was older in those with fewer childhood stress indicators. Conclusions & Significance This research project found that early life stress was common within this urban community and was associated with negative outcomes later in life, especially amongst those who died in childhood. / AHRC Heritage Consortium