Horse cemetery reveals link to medieval markets
Where the super rich today may splash their cash on Ferraris and Lamborghinis, in Tudor times they sought the Rolls-Royces of the equine world.
Horses were not only a must-have for any lord riding into battle or displaying his jousting skills, they were must-have bling.
And a horse cemetery unearthed in Westminster has revealed that they were willing to scour Europe to find the best and most impressive mounts.
Horse skeletons were discovered at the site underneath Elverton Street 30 years ago and an analysis of some of the teeth has now revealed where the animals came from. Three of the animals were among the tallest horses from the 14th to 16th century in England, standing at to 1.6 metres, or 15.3 hands, high. That is nothing special by today’s standards but “very impressive for their day”, said the scientists behind the findings.
The analysis showed that horses were brought from Scandinavia, much of northern Europe, the Alps and well into eastern Europe. Professor Oliver Creighton, of the University of Exeter, said: “The new findings provide a tangible archaeological signature of this trade, emphasising its international scale.” Dr Alex Pryor, also of the University of Exeter and the lead researcher in the study, said: “The chemical signatures we measured in the horse’s teeth are highly distinctive.
“These results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages.”
The study, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is published in the Science Advances journal.