Regular readers of our blog know that Steve and I like to explore cemeteries. While in London in the spring of , we toured the well-known Highgate Cemetery. However, the lesser-known Crossbones Graveyard and Garden of Remembrance was more compelling and memorable.
In this post, you will learn about the history of Crossbones and perhaps be inspired to visit it, too. Crossbones was an unconsecrated burial ground for prostitutes, paupers, criminals, and other outcasts from post-medieval times until its closure in Construction work in the s revealed that around half the people buried there were children. It is easy to reach by bus, underground, or train. The first known reference to Crossbones was in a survey of London by English historian and antiquarian John Stow.
Crossbones was in a seventy-acre area on the south bank of the River Thames opposite the City of London. The area was called the Liberty of the Clink The Liberty. This area included the Clink Prison and was the place to engage in unsavory activities like gambling, bear baiting, and visiting brothels. From the 12th to the 17th century, the Liberty was not under the jurisdiction of the king but under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Winchester Church of England.
The prostitutes who worked in this area were licensed by the Bishop of Winchester. They were sometimes called Winchester Geese because the word goose was slang for prostitute. To be bitten by a Winchester Goose meant that you had a venereal disease. After its closure in , Crossbones fell into neglect and faced threats from development projects. Parts of the graveyard were used for industry and storage of construction material.
Fortunately, the significance of its history was recognized. In , writer John Constable had a vision in which the spirit of a Winchester Goose revealed the secret history of Crossbones to him. They address social issues while drawing parallels between the past and present. From until , Constable, along with Katy Nicholls, worked to transform Crossbones into a shrine and sanctuary.
