Comments on: Dr Margaret Clegg, Keeper Of Human Remains

By: Marcia Howard

Marcia Howard — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 19:06:33 +0000

Wouldn’t fancy wearing that denture, gold or not! Astounded knowing there are so many skeletons at the Natural History Museum, especially as my siblings and I spent many many hours there in the first 11 yrs of my life growing up in Chelsea – in walking distance of the Museums at S.Ken

By: Marney MacDonald

Marney MacDonald — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:45:57 +0000

As descendants of Jean/John Rondeau Sexton at Christ Church whose remains are at the Natural History Museum we had the extraordinary privilege of viewing them several years ago. We also hope that DNA tests would be done before the final disposition of the remains.

Rondeau Baker, Marney Baker MacDonald, Karen Baker Martin. Canada

By: Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 09:43:14 +0000

Like Paul Loften, I was fascinated by the ‘denture’: I still can’t work out how it was fitted! Is there a drawing, or perhaps a model, available, that shows it insdie the mouth?

By: Sonia Murray

Sonia Murray — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:34:30 +0000

Gentle Author, thank you for this article! Please thank Dr. Clegg for caring for these remains, and ask her to have the coffin plates transcribed, the bones tested for DNA, and the information made available in print and digitized before the remains are destroyed and their story lost forever. Doing so would be an awesome task, but a very great benefit to countless descendants of the people of Christ Church, Spitalfields.

By: Terry Penton

Terry Penton — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 12:33:46 +0000

We recently carried out major painting works in the Pathology Dept St Bartholomew’s hospital. There are thousands of human remains held there & it was very strange looking at some of them & thinking what lives they lead.

By: Paul Loften

Paul Loften — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:50:59 +0000

The gold denture is fascinating. It must have been excruciating to wear but obviously you had to be wealthy to have one . People must have suffered terribly with their teeth in those days. One doesn’t realise the good fortune of living in times that can save one’s real choppers for their lifetime and being able to eat an apple in their eighties . Thankfully we also have a health service that provides dental care for everyone. Let us hope that this good fortune will continue and be built upon and not destroyed by short sighted greed . Thank you GA and Dr Margaret Clegg for making us aware of this reality

By: Georgina Briody

Georgina Briody — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 06:04:59 +0000

So pleased to see this article: I was one of those who contacted the Natural History Museum to find out more about my ancestor who was buried in the Christ Church crypt.

The Human Remains Unit are very helpful and also protective of the remains excavated from the crypt and showed me Sarah’s in her little brown box. They were able to tell me too (and it was comforting to know) she ate well eg fish and meat.