Broken bones

Archaeology

Broken bones happen! They are a nuisance and can be painful, but given correct medical input and with time, they will heal. The detailed healing process is fairly complex and occurs in distinct stages. The first of these is the ‘reactive stage’ when there is an inflammatory response and the start of laying down new cells. This stage normally lasts for 3-5 days. Next is the ‘reparative stage’ when cartilage and then bone cells are laid down, a process which can take up to 12 weeks, but can be as short as 2 weeks. Finally there is the ‘remodelling stage’ during which the original bone structure is fully restored. The duration of this final stage is very variable and can take several years to complete. The time taken to heal varies with the location of the bone (a finger takes about 2 weeks, whilst the femur can be about 12 weeks) but it will also depend on many other factors such as age, smoking, nutrition, underlying diseases and related drug treatments. Medical intervention is normally fairly straightforward and involves ‘pushing’ the bones back in place and then stabilising them during the natural healing process.

 

During the archaeological dig in the former East Kirk of St Nicholas a large number of human remains were found – as expected in what had been a graveyard before the building was extended over it. Amongst these, several examples of fractures in different states of healing were found. We are grateful to Paul Duffy of Brandanii Archaeology for doing the detailed analysis and taking the photographs. A few examples are shown here to illustrate some of the different situations which were found.

Post 67 (a) Unhealed at time of death rib fracture in old man
No healing of fractured rib

In the first example, a rib has been broken and no healing has taken place. Obviously we do not know why it was broken, but the break must have occurred a fairly short time before death. It could even have been an injury received at the time of death.

 

 

 

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Well healed bone

 

The second example is of a bone which had been broken but which has healed. The ‘remodelling phase’ is not quite complete as the bone has not regained its normal profile – there is still some callous causing a small budge at the site of the fracture.

 

 

Post 67 (c) Mis-aligned heal of tibia
Shortened leg due to bad ‘setting’

The third example is of a fracture which has fully healed but, as can be clearly seen, the bone was not ‘set’ properly before healing took place. The two halves have fused together and there is a smooth profile to the bone. This is a tibia (lower leg bone), which means that this person would have had one leg shorter than the other by three inches or more.

 

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Lower arm bones fused preventing rotation

 

The final example is of the lower forearm. The breaks here were not set properly, if at all. However, the bones have fused – but in two separate places. The normal rotational movement of the lower arm is possible because the two bones, the radius and ulna, can rotate around each other. This unfortunate person would have lost that ability and would have been left with very little useful movement in that arm.

St Mary’s Chapel – open times summer 2016

News

St Mary’s Chapel was built around 1450 before the Kirk of St Nicholas was expanded to its present size towards the end of that century. It is a special place, often described as ‘one of the hidden gems of Aberdeen’. It has a stone-vaulted ceiling, beautiful stained glass, the walls have mostly 17th century carved wood panels, and there is some dating from 1508. Set in the floor are grave stones some of which show the links between the building in the castles of Drum and Crathes.

 

The Chapel will be open to the public on four Saturdays over the summer between 10 am and 12.30 pm on 14th May, 11th June, 9th July and 13th August. Entry is free, there will be people there to explain and answer questions, but please note that access involves difficult steps and the floors inside are uneven. Entry is by the door at the top of Correction Wynd.

 

The Chapel will also be open on Doors Open Day on 10th September between 10 am and 4 pm.

Post 3 (c) St Mary's Chapel in 2010

A Bridled Woman?

History,

St Mary’s Chapel has a large number of carved stone corbels, some of which will be featured in future posts. However, the one shown here is something of an enigma, because it is hung on the wall and is not part of the structure of the building. Where it was originally is not known.

In years gone by there was an offence, called in Latin communis rixatrix. Those words are in the feminine gender, so it was something that only women could commit. The ‘crime’ was to be a troublesome and angry female, who broke the public peace by habitually arguing and quarrelling. The common phrase was a ‘common scold’. The punishment was to put a bridle on the woman’s head, which included a bit, or something equivalent, in her mouth to press down on the tongue. Some were quite horrendous with sharp spikes on the bit. In Scotland this contraption was often called a brank’s bridle (or simply branks), with the first recorded instance of its use in 1567. It was supposed to be a minor punishment and was often inflicted on female offenders by Kirk Sessions and barony courts. Presumably the intention of the punishment was to stop the woman from speaking, hence the other common name: ‘the gossip bridle’. Quite often, the woman concerned was paraded in public then tied to the town cross or a similar prominent place. The duration of this humiliation would be determined by the Kirk Session or barony court. One assumes that the pain, discomfort and public humiliation was intended to act as a deterrent to others. In England and Wales the actual law was abolished as recently as 1967. It should also be noted that there are records of the branks being used on men – so in reality it was not just for women!

Post 66 Bridled women in SMC South Aise
The ‘bridled woman’ head in St Mary’s Chapel

In the photograph the bridle going through the mouth can be clearly seen. So what is a carved head such as this doing in a church? We just do not know! It seems unlikely that it was intended to be part of the building in the same way as the other corbels. Perhaps a previous Kirk Session had decided that this carving should be made and displayed to the congregation as a warning! Any (sensible) suggestions would be welcome!

The Bells – part 2

History

Following the destruction of the bells in the fire of 1874 and the rebuilding of the spire (see Blog on 13th March 2016), there was common agreement that new bells should be installed. A century and a half ago it was common practice for the bells to be ‘shared’ between church and council, the former using them on Sundays whilst their weekday use was primarily civic. Unfortunately in this case there was disagreement between the Kirk and the civic authorities on who should control the peal and its hours of ringing. In 1881, after 6 years of argument, the Kirk Session relinquished control to the Town Council. During this time without bells, and until new bells were in place, the authorities of St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Huntly Street, which had a chime of nine bells, ‘very courteously rang their bells on Sundays to suit other church-going folk than their own’.

 

Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums Collection
A general view of the carillon keyboard

After considerable debate, it was decided that a carillon would be installed in the Kirk rather than a peal of bells for change ringing. In a carillon, the bells are fixed in position and it is the clapper which is moved to make the sound. The clappers are connected to a keyboard using wires and metal levers. The keyboard looks a bit like a large piano, but rather than keys it has pegs which are struck or stroked by the hand. Each key is connected to the appropriate bell. Most carillons also have a pedal board similar to that on an organ and also connected to the appropriate bell clapper. Thus several bells may be played at the same time, and in quick succession, which allows quite complex music to be played by one person. The photograph shows the carillon ‘keys’ in the present carillon at the Kirk of St Nicholas.

Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums Collection
Some of the bells in the present carillon

With the decision taken to have a carillon, it was agreed to order 36 bells from Severin van Aershodt of Louvain in Belgium. An indication of popularity of the move can be gauged from the fact that no less than 30 of the bells were donated by local churches, public bodies and individuals. The remaining six were gifted by the Council. A thirty-seventh bell was later given by Alexander Lyon Jr when he became Convener of the Bells Committee.

Post 65 (c) 1887 Bells from press DSCN0609
The procession of the bells around the streets
Post 65 (d) 'Victoria' arriving in Aberdeen 1887
The bell ‘Victoria’ during the procession

When complete, the bells were shipped to Leith and brought to Aberdeen by rail. On the afternoon of 12th May 1887 they were paraded on horse-drawn lorries on a circuitous route on the streets of Aberdeen eventually arriving at the Kirk for mounting in the spire (see photographs). The inauguration and dedication ceremony took place on 18th June 1887, during the Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria. The largest bell was duly named ‘Victoria’ and was used for striking the hours. However, it rapidly became obvious that there was a big problem because the sound produced by the bells was not good, some reports suggest barely audible. Reports suggest that there were three problems: the design of the mechanical action was poor; the bells were not tuned accurately; the metal used for the bells had insufficient tin, which produced a very poor tone. Thus after the excitement, there was disappointment, resulting in the bells hardly being used, apart from playing hymn and psalm tunes on the lower pitched bells before church on Sunday mornings.

We will bring the story up to date in the next Blog on the bells in a few weeks.

Easter Day

Uncategorized

After the horror and desolation of Good Friday, today is the day when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Day. This is the foundation of the Christian faith, showing as it does the divine Jesus, that he is indeed the Son of God. Christians believe that through the sacrifice of Jesus and his resurrection, no matter what we do, it is still possible for us to be reconciled with God.

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It is not easy to represent the resurrection. Often Jesus was shown as the Paschal Lamb. This is a reference to the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice as an atonement for sin. So, Jesus is seen as the ultimate sacrifice. However, in many non-conformist churches an empty cross is often used to show that Jesus is no longer crucified and dead. The photograph is of a grave memorial in the Kirkyard of the Kirk of St Nicholas. It is an empty cross carved by the stonemason to appear as though it were made from tree trunks.

Good Friday

Uncategorized

Today is remembered throughout the western Christian world as Good Friday – the day when Jesus was crucified. It has become one of the commonest themes for religious art over the centuries.

 

Post 63 Mary at crucifixion Strachan window, SMC
St Mary at the crucifixion of Jesus

St Mary’s Chapel was built at a lower level in the middle of the 15th century to allow the expansion of the Kirk of St Nicholas above the valley of the Putachie Burn. It was used for a number of years by a group of ladies who focussed their devotion on the suffering of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the time of the crucifixion. The photograph with this blog shows the right hand light of the window created by Aberdeen artist Douglas Strachan for the Chapel. This is half of Strachan’s first stained glass window. The image portrays the words in John’s Gospel chapter 19 verses 25-27 “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother ….  When Jesus saw his mother standing there and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman here is your son’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’. From that time on, this disciple took her into his home”. The image created by Strachan shows Mary, with a sad and forlorn look on her face, resting on ‘the disciple’ with Jesus on the cross looking down on them.

Bells (part 1)

Uncategorized

Bells have been used over the centuries at times of rejoicing, to warn of danger and in times of mourning. Most bells are located in churches where they have an additional use – to call the faithful to worship. With a known history spanning more than 8 centuries and its central location, it is hardly surprising that the Kirk of St Nicholas has a story to tell about its bells. Exactly when the first one was installed is not known. There certainly was one already there in 1351 when two new bells were added. They were dedicated to St Mary and St Laurence (the latter bell often known as ‘Auld Lowrie’). How they came to be gifted is intriguing. Tradition suggests that Provost William de Leyth [Leith] got into a quarrel with Baillie Catanach of Barkhill (near Berryden) which resulted in the death of the latter. In expiation for the crime, the two bells were given by William Leyth. The larger, Auld Lowrie, was about 4 feet across at the mouth and 3½ feet high, weighing about 4,000lb (1.8 tons). It must have been quite a feat getting it up the spire into position! Up to the Reformation it was only tolled on the anniversaries of the death of three successive chief magistrates, Fyffe, Roull and Davidson.

Auld Lowrie was recast in 1634 and continued in use with the other two bells until 1874. Additional bells were installed in 1794, 1802 and three in 1858 making a peal of eight. These were hung for change ringing i.e. chimed by swinging the bell using a rope. Complex permutations of sounding the bells, called changes are possible. These bells were sometimes used in this way and were reputed to have a very fine quality of sound.

The story of the drastic fire of 9th October 1874 was related in the Blog of 10th October 2015. All the bells were lost during the collapse of the spire. However, metal from the bells was recovered subsequently. Some was recast as bells, but some was used to make a lectern in the shape of a Pelican. This was used in the former East Kirk until 2004 and is now located in the West Kirk. The wooden stand is also made from wood recovered after the fire.  It is shown in the accompanying photographs.

Post 62 (a) Pelican lectern close up
Close up of pelican and chicks on lectern, made from remains of bells destroyed in 1874
Post 62 (b) Pelican Lectern full
Whole lectern, stand made from wood salvaged after fire in 1874

George Davidson of Pettens

History

There are several large memorials along the wall of the Kirk of St Nicholas Kirkyard which backs onto Back Wynd. One of these is for George Davidson of Pettens. Pettens was a farm just north of Balmedie, but George Davidson acquired a large estate covering the area near modern day Kingswells, Newhills and Bucksburn.

It is not known when he was born, nor who his parents were. He never married and was probably illiterate. Despite this he was a burgess of the city of Aberdeen and amassed a substantial amount of wealth, part of which he used to extend the estate. However, most of his wealth was used to fund projects for the benefit of others. Travelling home from Aberdeen one day he saw a man nearly drown in attempting to cross the Buxburne (the modern day Bucksburn, which flows through the Aberdeen suburb of Bucksburn to join the River Don). This moved him to have a stone bridge built, including the provision of money for its upkeep. In addition, he repaired the bridge at Inche (Insch), built the chapel at Newhills and the walls around St Clement’s Church in Aberdeen, where there is a memorial plaque to mark his generosity. Apart from this type of beneficence he also left endowments to the ministers of both St Nicholas and St Clement’s Churches.

Post 61 George Davidson of Pettens Memorial
Memorial to George Davidson of Pettens

 

 

 

 

As can be seen in the photograph, the central part of the memorial is a Latin inscription. The following is a translation, taken from ‘Collection of Epitaphs and Monumental Inscriptions: Chiefly in Scotland’ published in 1834, which indicates the wide range of good works which George Davidson did before his death in 1663.

 

 

 

 

“To the eternal memory of George Davidson of Pettens, a man truly notable for the integrity of his life, and profuse liberality towards the poor, and for his piety towards God, and who deserved very well from the church and all the commonwealth, and from this city of Aberdeen. This man, beside many donations for the perpetual help of the poor and publick uses, caused the bridge of Inche to be repaired, and the bridge of Buxburne to be built of a notable structure. He gifted to the church of Aberdeen the lands of Pettens and Bogfairlie, with certain sums of money, for the perpetual use of a preacher of God’s word there; he also caused build the church of Newhills, and, for the more increase of the kingdom of God, by a singular example and preparative, he dedicated and mortified the saids lands of Newhills also, for the maintenance of the ministers of the gospel thereat. He died in the year 1663.”

Love

History

In his first letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul wrote his famous passage about the gifts of faith, hope and love and concluded that the greatest of these is love – or ‘charity’ as it appears in some older translations. Although the meaning is far deeper than romantic love, the time around Valentine’s Day is an appropriate reminder of the gift of love, be it human or divine.

On the north wall of the former East Kirk there is a window of three lights with tracery which features depictions of Faith, Hope and Charity – the ‘three graces’. The window was created in 1908 as a memorial to George Donald, an elder of the church, and his wife Elizabeth Milne. They had died in 1890 and 1901 respectively. George Donald owned ‘Potty’ Donald’s Paint and Glass merchant business in Netherkirkgate, Aberdeen.

The presently available records do not indicate who made this memorial window. One possibility suggests that it was produced by the family business, but there is no direct evidence for this. Others have indicated that it was produced by the company Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster, but many of their records were destroyed in a fire. If anyone who reads this can provide further information we will be pleased to hear from you.

Post 60 CharityThe company of Shrigley’s had been in Lancaster from the mid-1700s initially carrying out painting, carving and gilding. Arthur Hunt ran a successful stained glass and painting company in the south of England. He acquired the company in 1868 and developed it to become a leading stained glass company, under the name of Shrigley and Hunt. Their work can be found throughout the UK and Europe, although there are relatively few examples of their work in Scotland. There are two other windows known to be made by them in the former East Kirk of St Nicholas building. The company finally closed in 1982. The window is described as being in the ‘Aesthetic’ style of stained glass which drew on the pre-Raphaelite movement. The right-hand light of this window depicts ‘Charity’ and is shown in the accompanying photograph. It demonstrates the characteristic use of boldly contrasting colours beneath canopies of dark green foliage and red fruit with the name in a scroll. ‘Charity’ carries a child in her arms.

The window was restored and cleaned during the Phase 1 work in 2010-11.

 

Burials

Archaeology

During the 2006 archaeological dig in the former East Kirk a great many burials were uncovered. Some were complete, intact burials, whilst others were incomplete – disarticulated is the term used by archaeologists. That many burials were found should not be a surprise since most of the ground excavated had, in earlier times, been part of the graveyard and was incorporated into the church as it expanded. All the remains have been studied in close detail and a great deal has been learned about the life that these people from the past (roughly 1200 to 1700) lived. However, this post is more about the actual burials.

E84 St Nicholas Site Large pin Week 34 1209 Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections
A shroud pin

The majority of burials were carried out using either a linen shroud or a wooden coffin – the former was less expensive than the latter. No actual shrouds were found because the vegetable material used to make the cloth had decomposed over the centuries, but copper alloy pins (see photograph) which held the shroud in place were found in abundance and there was some stitching which might have come from a shroud. The wood used in coffins was more resistant to decomposition, so some wooden coffins were found, although many of them had collapsed. Metal fittings were also found from many of them. In some, coins were embedded in the wood (see photograph), which helps the archaeologists to date them.

Post 59 (b) Coins in a wooden coffin
Coins in a wooden coffin lid

In addition there were a number of simple stone cists holding burials of babies around the early apse. Not far away there was an example of a log burial. In this a tree had been split in two, roughly hollowed out and charred before using it to bury a young girl.

 

However, in times past other styles of burial were employed including using a stone sarcophagus. The word comes from the Greek and means ‘flesh eating’, because the stone, usually limestone, was thought to speed the decomposition of the corpse interred within it. Originally a sarcophagus was made of stone and carved out to take the body. Four broken parts of one of these was found during the dig, but it has not been accurately dated. The head and shoulder part is shown in the photograph. It is made of limestone – not a type of stone found near Aberdeen.

E84 St Nicholas Site Week 26 27 July 06 Sarcophagus Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections
The ‘head end’ of the broken sarcophagus

The history of the use of sarcophagi is a long one. In Roman times, they were placed against a wall and often had the three visible sides decorated with carvings. They continued to be used in Christian Europe, usually for important people such as royalty or leading churchmen. As they gradually became more elaborate they were placed in prominent positions in churches, frequently including a recumbent effigy on the lid. Plain sarcophagi were placed in crypts. As time passed, space became a problem inside churches. So a modified practice of having ‘false’ sarcophagi in the graveyard developed. These frequently appear as chest-like structures, sometimes with ornamentation, but below ground there was no traditional stone sarcophagus. Rather it used a traditional wooden, occasionally lead-lined, coffin burial with the above ground memorial indicating the social status of the deceased. Many examples of these can be seen in the St Nicholas Kirkyard. The term sarcophagus has been less widely used since the Renaissance and is now really only used as an archaeological term.

(The photographs are copyright Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections and are used with permission).