History & Archaeology Lab

A collaborative research and learning space dedicated to the study of medieval history and archaeology at St Andrews

Our research lab is currently home to our AHRC-Funded project Word of Mouth: Embodied Stories of Premodern Women at Work. We are currently studying assemblages of human remains from Elstow Abbey (Bedfordshire) and Littlemore Priory (Oxfordshire).

The lab also offers undergraduate and postgraduate students studying medieval history and archaeology at St Andrews the opportunity to learn first-hand about how historians and bio-archaeologists are working together to open new windows on the medieval past. Our students work with a skeletal assemblage from St Leonards Hospital in North Shields (Newcastle) with a focus on learning basic osteology and engaging with research questions surrounding medieval disability. Our students led the way to our recent research exhibit, History in Our Bones: Thinking Together about Medieval Disability at the St Andrews Wardlaw Museum in April and May 2025.

Initially housed in temporary space in the Department of Anatomy at the medical school, the lab has moved to its own dedicated space in the Centre for Archaeology, Technology, & History in St Katherine’s West on the Scores.

Each year we welcome student volunteers who learn basic osteology and work on our St Leonards assemblage. Contact Dr Eleanor Farber ([email protected]) for more information about how to get involved.

Alison Beach (PI, Medieval History & Archaeology)