ELS215 from Elstow Abbey (Word of Mouth: Embodied Stories of Premodern Women at Work)

As part of Word of Mouth: Embodied Stories of Premodern Women at Work (ELS215), led by Professor Alison Beach at the University of St Andrews, a facial approximation was created for a woman buried at Elstow Abbey (Bedford, England). Her skeleton shows advanced Pott’s disease (tuberculosis of the spine), a condition that would have affected her posture and appearance in life.

Evidence suggests she may have been a nun, and the reconstruction presents her in both civilian dress and a nun’s habit, offering insight into health, identity, and daily life in a premodern religious community. This work helped inspire the research initiative Visible Disabilities in Premodern Europe and has featured in the travelling exhibition History in Our Bones.