Investigation of a Medieval Pilgrim Burial Excavated from the Leprosarium of St Mary Magdalen Winchester, UK

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Jan 26;11(1):e0005186. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005186. eCollection 2017 Jan.

Abstract

We have examined the remains of a Pilgrim burial from St Mary Magdalen, Winchester. The individual was a young adult male, aged around 18-25 years at the time of death. Radiocarbon dating showed the remains dated to the late 11th-early 12th centuries, a time when pilgrimages were at their height in Europe. Several lines of evidence in connection with the burial suggested this was an individual of some means and prestige. Although buried within the leprosarium cemetery, the skeleton showed only minimal skeletal evidence for leprosy, which was confined to the bones of the feet and legs. Nonetheless, molecular testing of several skeletal elements, including uninvolved bones all showed robust evidence of DNA from Mycobacterium leprae, consistent with the lepromatous or multibacillary form of the disease. We infer that in life, this individual almost certainly suffered with multiple soft tissue lesions. Genotyping of the M.leprae strain showed this belonged to the 2F lineage, today associated with cases from South-Central and Western Asia. During osteological examination it was noted that the cranium and facial features displayed atypical morphology for northern European populations. Subsequently, geochemical isotopic analyses carried out on tooth enamel indicated that this individual was indeed not local to the Winchester region, although it was not possible to be more specific about their geographic origin.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bone and Bones / anatomy & histology*
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification*
  • Genotype
  • History, Medieval
  • Humans
  • Leprosy / history*
  • Male
  • Mycobacterium leprae / genetics*
  • Osteology
  • United Kingdom
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial

Grants and funding

The osteological analysis was funded by a British Academy Small Research Grant, Albert Reckitt Fund, SG160882 (SR) http://www.britac.ac.uk. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.