Funeral held for plague victims found at Edinburgh school

A funeral service has been held for 17th Century plague victims discovered underneath an Edinburgh playground.

The former inhabitants of Leith were discovered in the grounds of St Mary's RC Primary School in April 2016 during an excavation by Morrison Construction which was building a new classroom.

A re-interment service at Rosebank Cemetery has now been held involving 30 children from the school.

The remains of 77 people, including 23 children and infants, were identified.

Archaeologists from Wardell Armstrong, on behalf of Edinburgh City Council, identified the remains.

All of them, including six infants, are believed to have fallen victim to the bubonic plague which devastated the population of Leith in 1644-1645.

Children from the school were involved in the ceremony

At the service, a memorial stone was laid and the city council's culture convener Donald Wilson gave an address.

He said: "An ancient city like Edinburgh never fails to amaze and bring new discoveries. Indeed, there is almost as much history to be found under the city as above ground.

"When these remains were unearthed in 2016, the discovery provided the school with a fascinating teaching resource and the pupils at St Mary's have had a great time learning about archaeology and the history of their local area.

"The findings have also added to our archaeological understanding of Leith, and the whole community has been very engaged in the excavation."

A memorial stone was laid in the cemetery

John Lawson, City of Edinburgh Council archaeologist, added: "Leith and the surrounding area has a rich archaeological history and the school excavation has been a fascinating project for everyone involved.

"Analysis of the remains has helped us to understand life in Leith at this time and shed light on the devastating bubonic plague which wiped out over half of the port's population.

"These discoveries have helped us establish where this plague cemetery in Leith Links was - as until now its location had been lost, with only 19th Century accounts hinting at its location in this area."

The funeral was held in Rosebank Cemetery - about one mile from the site in which they were found.

Rosebank is one of Edinburgh's oldest burial sites and features a mass grave and tribute to the victims of the Gretna Rail Disaster of 1915, when 215 soldiers of the 1st/7th Battalion The Royal Scots were killed.

The memorial stone for the plague victims reads: "In memory of the victims of the 1645 bubonic plague found in St Mary's (Leith) Roman Catholic Primary School Leith Links. Reburied here in 2018."

Forensic archaeologist Megan Stoakley at the school site with pupils Amelia Soffe and Louise Doyle

Mary Bainbridge, depute head teacher of St Mary's RC Leith, said: "This has been a wonderful experience for all of the pupils at St Mary's Leith.

"When the discovery was made, the children were very excited to learn about this encounter with the past and older classes especially were interested to hear about the outbreak of the plague.

"Pupils had the chance to go on site and speak with the archaeologists, and now, they have been able to say their goodbyes.

"I think they are proud to have been able to contribute in this special way, from selecting and singing hymns to laying flowers.

"It has been a fantastic learning opportunity for our pupils in lots of different ways and it means the victims will never be forgotten."