Scientists have reconstructed the face of a woman who lived in Britain 900 years ago based on the discovery of her skull. The remains of 14 individuals were found buried at Holy Trinity Kendal Parish Church in Kendal, Cumbria, during flood management work by the Environment Agency in 2022.
Utilizing computer technology, experts at Liverpool John Moores University recreated the likeness of a woman known as ‘Kendal Woman’ who is estimated to have been around 50 years old when she passed away in the 1200s. A poll is now underway to assign her a proper name before she is reinterred alongside the other bodies at the same site where she was originally found.
Visitors to Kendal Parish Church are invited to select a name from a list of options, each reflecting the meanings attributed to names during that period. The list includes choices like Agnes, Amice, Annora, Bodil, Clemence, Frieda, Hilda, Jord, Kara, and Tove.
Details regarding her skin color, complexion, long hair likely wrapped in a headscarf, and occupation as a worker on the land were determined by the scientists. The Revd Canon Shanthi Thompson from Kendal Parish Church expressed the intention to provide the woman with a dignified burial with the other discovered bodies.
Archaeologists examined her DNA and speculated about her origins based on the analysis of bones, teeth, and radiocarbon dating. The reconstruction indicated that she possessed a ruddy complexion indicative of extensive outdoor labor, possibly in the surrounding fields of the town.
It was suggested that she was buried without a coffin, implying a lack of high status. Plans are in place to reinter her in the churchyard in the upcoming year.