Osteoarchaeology

The human remains assemblage at the Mary Rose Trust has only ever been analysed in its entirety twice since its recovery from the site of the Mary Rose more than forty years ago.

Firstly, by osteologist Dr Ann Stirland (1935-2021) as part of the original post-excavation assessment in the 1980s with 92 skeletons partially reconstructed from the highly commingled assemblage.

Hannah carried out a full re-assessment and digital recording of the c.9,000 individual bones in summer 2021. This research resulted in the partial reconstruction of eight further skeletons including the identification of the remains of youngest (child) crew members.

An innovative estimation of the ‘Most Likely Number of Individuals’ on board the ship when it sank on 19th July 1545 was also achieved by Hannah and this research paper is awaiting publication.