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Naked and Beheaded: A Survey of Children’s Graves at Ross Bay Cemetery

With: Claire Rawlinson, Vanessa Futcher, Emily McClintock, and Anna Stefek.

            I would like to note that, due to the sensitive nature of the deceased, our interactions with the grave sites were as respectful as possible.

            Beginning in Ross Bay Cemetery with the rough idea to study the graves of children – defined in our study as a maximum age of ten years – we selected twelve graves as our data set; only eleven of these are children, as the Porter Twins are buried together. Of note; these are Christian graves.

            We studied the variation of children’s graves in Ross Bay Cemetery, examining the alignment (i.e. north – south, etc...), the formation of each monument and their variables. We were also interested in the age of the deceased and what information that may illuminate towards their life in Victoria during this time.

            Deciding to use predominantly Roman Catholic graves narrows the range of cultural and religious variations between grave types. This poses a problem too, in that the specificity limits the holistic, cultural representation.

            Our data set sought to answer the formation of graves and whether there was a correlation between style and type. However, we also wondered what relevant data the age of the children might provide towards life when they lived. Effectively, our data set answered these questions and while no absolutely specific information may be gleaned towards Victoria life from the grave sites themselves, we are able to deduce and make some assumptions based on recorded age.

            In this survey there are correlations between the alignments and style of graves. In association with Deirdre Crombie’s survey of children’s burial grounds of the Barony of Dunmore, the grave sites of our survey were all interred in east – west orientation, often with a boundary, and with all have a grave marker (Crombie: 1988). Six of the eleven graves are rectangular, “curbed” (Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria, no date given), plots with raised stone boundaries and internal headstones or markers. Mary Elizabeth Rickard’s grave is the largest of the graves surveyed and follows this plan (see map). The five graves that do not follow this are simple internments, with a marker or headstone, such as Edward Adams Lindsay, whose grave was the smallest surveyed. The structured alignment and similar styles show a contiguous Christian form, though there is variety there is also method and an awareness of acceptable custom and practice. I would like to note that much of the variety, at least within style, may be simple modifications in the details (such as the choice of headstones) and the erosion of time and weather (such as the possible replacement of Robert David Player’s headstone).

            Two of the children are dated to the 1990’s (Daisy Aleatha Annabelle Fisher and William Rhys Henderson-Van Rhyn) and two did not have dates present (Baby Turae and Mary Planche), although due to the wear these could be from the same period as the other seven children, who passed between 1917 and 1937. Today there are deaths of children and infants, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but these children “ battled cholera, smallpox, [and] typhoid fever” (McKay: 2009), diseases which were still common in Victoria and Canada of the time. Many of these children were also born during World War One, between 1914 and 1918, and the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Neither of these may have been the cause of death, but they may have allowed for the circumstances leading to death.

            Effectively our survey answered our questions; we discovered consistent burial practices and styles, while the age of the individuals gave us a time period to place them in context. However, due to the focused scope of this survey towards predominantly Roman Catholic graves, it would be interesting to study a broader range of children’s graves between cultural and religious boundaries, in Ross Bay Cemetery and/or other Victoria cemeteries. I would expect to see similar findings in a broader survey, particularly continuous styles within varying religious groups.

Owain Nicholson

February 11, 2011

Works Cited:

Crombie, Deirdre. Children's Burial Grounds in the Barony of Dunmore: A Preliminary Note. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. Vol. 41 (1987 – 88), pp 149-151.

McKay, Marion. Public Health Nursing in Early 20th Century Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. July – August 2009, Vol. 100 (4), pp. 249-52.

Old Cemetery Society of Victoria. Ross Bay Cemetery: Markers. No date given. Online at: http://www.oldcem.bc.ca/cem_rb_mar.htm [February 11, 2011].

Old Cemetery Society of Victoria. Ross Bay Cemetery: Sections. No date given. Online at: http://www.oldcem.bc.ca/cem_rb_sec.htm [February 11, 2011].

Burial at the Sky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial -- and a blog actually...with slightly graphic pictures: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-7890.html

So meandering through the internet sometime back -- for novel worth burial information -- I found a form of 'burial' ritual used by Tibetan monks, termed "sky burial." Effectively this is the leaving a dead body on the crown of a hill or mountain, sometimes with the body cut open to expose organs, so that scavangers and birds of prey can eat the remains. The place is called a "charnel ground."

I find this extreamly interesting in that while it has religious significance -- or rather it fits into the religion -- it is also simply a method of pragmatism. In terms of the faith -- Buddhism -- the teachings are those of rebirth and so the preservation of the dead is not applicable. In this way, due to rocky ground and limited resources for cremation, it is much easier to give the body to the animals. The body itself is simply going to decompose either by nature or animal, so why not give it to them?

The archaeology of this is a little more difficult. Because the remains are actually being consumed, for the most part, it would be incredibly difficult to find any lasting remains. In the pictures of the blog the monk returns to crush the bones -- including the skull -- and mixes it with flour, sugar, and butter. However, it would be foolish to assume that just because one tourist took pictures all sky burials are done in such manner.

So, were one to study this practice I think that first one would have to find multiple charnel grounds, near towns -- old or new -- and monasteries on hilltops or mountains, the people themselves would be the best source of information. I think there would be two options, too look for human remains and to study the droppings of animals on the site. In the pictures the site was practically aswarm with vultures, it wouldn't be unlikely that there would be remains of droppings. I don't remember the term for it, but if there is enough evidence of the human in the droppings than it would suggest that the site was used in such a manner, this in conjunction with the people and hopefully with actualy skeletal remains (probably small things like finger bones or teeth) we could determine a sky burial site from such findings. I think more research and work would have to be invested but I don't think it's that far outside of the realm of the plausible.

Would that I could have Grave Goods

What items are important enough to myself to include in my grave? Damned good question. The more I've thought of this the less I discover anything that I'd want. Not to go on a ramble, but we're so consumed with items of little value -- to the broad scheme of things -- that we honestly don't invest into items as we did before. With that said, I think the only two things I would want in my grave would be my footy cleats and ball. Sorry, three. Footy cleats, football, and a bottle of Talisker, the ten year would be just fine, sealed with wax. In this way the very respectful archaeologists finding my remains could raise a cup in my name, if nothing else. I suppose there would have to be a note to endorse the drinking of the scotch.

With that all said and done, I think I'd prefer to be cremated somewhere in the wild, a nice, small glen somewhere perhaps. Or I'd like to be buried encased in salt, or baking soda, or whatever other similar preservative. So grave goods become even more interesting in that context, as the preservative would be a grave good. So would the urn.

What does that say about me? I think other people are more able to diagnose that. However, I'm wondering in terms of future archaeologists what they might think. Imagine it yourself, as an archaeologist:

So you begin this exciting new dig. Sleeping in tents on the site, perhaps, maybe it's close enough to a town to drive. Anyway, you or your team find the remains, perserved and mummified with a bottle of scotch, a note to drink it, and footy gear. I think most people would think him one cheeky bastard.