Cemetery dig answering questions

AN archaeological dig at a former cemetery in Lawrence has helped shed light on a longstanding local legend.

Exhumation and analysis of skeletons and burial sites in the historic goldmining town started this week, with University of Otago researchers conducting the Otago Historic Cemeteries Bioarchaeology Project.

The dig is focused on two burial areas in the town: the original Lawrence cemetery on Ardrossan St, which closed in 1867, and the Chinese area of the town’s more recent Gabriel St cemetery.

Prof Hallie Buckley, of Otago University’s department of anatomy, and Dr Peter Petchey of the anthropology and archaeology department, who is also director of Southern Archaeology, are leading the approximately threeweek project.

Prof Buckley said until the dig began, it was unclear how many burial sites might still be present at Ardrossan St.

‘‘In the old cemetery we wanted to establish whether there were still graves present after supposed exhumations occurred when the area was closed. The local legend was that one person was left behind. In the first few days onsite we’ve confirmed there were in fact at least eight left in situ.’’

Exploration of the grave cuts had revealed other interesting details, Dr Petchey said.

‘‘This is about a oneacre (0.4ha) site, so one question was ‘why were relatively few buried here before they decided to move the cemetery?’ Having found pick marks at the bottom of many of the pits, we now think the reasonably superficial bedrock may have put them off further burials.’’

As well as providing a picture of what life was like at the time of the early 1860s goldrush, the remains could reveal detailed aspects of people’s health, diet, and overall quality of life through isotopic and DNA analysis, Dr Petchey said.

‘‘We can learn about their health and wellbeing, the makeup of the population, burial traditions, and compare all of the above with our other research project in Milton.’’

The Milton research was the first of its kind in New Zealand, taking place at the town’s St John’s Burial Ground in 2016.

Heritage New Zealand Otago/ Southland archaeologist Dr Matthew Schmidt said respect for the dead and their descendants was the top priority for the project.

‘‘This project is incredibly valuable, primarily because of the outcome for the people buried here in the 19th century. While important data will be gained on their background and lives, they can now be moved and reinterred with the respect they deserve.’’

PHOTO: RICHARD DAVISON Bone picking . . . Volunteer bioanthropologists Ruth Warren, left, of Dunedin, and Caitlin Hyde, of Ashburton, wet sieve fill from the grave of a 19th century infant at Lawrence’s historic cemetery yesterday.