Take a tour of London's Potter's Field in city cemetery
Hundreds of people were buried in the 19th Century in unconsecrated graves
The stories of Londoners buried in unmarked graves at the city's Woodland Cemetery are being unearthed this summer by a team of Western researchers.
The bodies are buried in what's called a Potter's Field, used in the 19th century for outcasts, people living in poverty or in institutions. Recent immigrants were also buried there.
"This is unconsecrated ground where they buried people who the church believed didn't deserve a consecrated burial or else they didn't know where else to put them," said lead project researcher Levi Hord.
The Western students, who are back at the cemetery located off Springbank Drive for a fourth summer, are planning a walking tour for the public to showcase what they've learned.
Almost forgotten
So far, records are scarce but the archives at Woodland do offer a clue.
Student Leah Abaza said one person identified was William Wilson, reportedly a criminal and burglar in the late 1800s.
"He had a run in with the police which ended in his death. They didn't know who he was when he was taken by police. He had no next of kin, so he was destined for the Potter's Fields."
Old newspaper clippings are also helping direct the research.
Emma Wilson, who died in 1867 at the age of 19, was buried in the Potter's Field.
"The cemetery records are very scarce for her. All that they say is that she died of suicide in the brothel," Abaza said.
But the young woman's story caused a stir in the newspaper as it was reported she was from a prominent Toronto family.
"When you have a story like this, the press has a field day with it," Hord said.
"What we're trying to do is research the contextual information about the time they were living and to reconstruct what happened to them."
The original Potter's Field was located near the Western Fair grounds and was moved to Woodland Cemetary in 1879. At that time, Woodland was called Saint Paul's Cemetery, which also had an unconsecrated section along the back fence line with a few hundred people buried.
Free tours of the Potter's Field are planned for July 7 at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m.
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