'Here lieth interr'd': an examination of 17th-century British burial landscapes in eastern North America

Abstract

An archaeological, historical, and geographical survey-based examination, this research focuses on the first organized 17th-century British colonial burial grounds in 43 sites in New England and a further 20 in eastern Newfoundland, and how religious, socio-political, and cultural backgrounds may have influenced the placement of these spaces in relation to their associated settlements. In an attempt to locate the earliest 17th-century burial ground at Ferryland, Newfoundland, this research focuses on statistical analysis, and identifying potential patterns in burial ground placement. The statistical results will serve as a frequency model to suggest common placement and patterns in spatial organization of 17th-century British burial grounds along the eastern seaboard of North America. In addition, text-based and geochemical analyses were conducted on the Ferryland gravestones to aid in determining age and origin.