tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3284602429922976266.post695996887036333982..comments2023-12-28T08:46:47.400+00:00Comments on Humphrey With His Flail: Some burial folklore in literary sourcesPaul Cowdellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03450745221810240378noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3284602429922976266.post-52945995477204045752011-09-28T14:00:31.163+01:002011-09-28T14:00:31.163+01:00Thanks very much for this. I suppose real risk con...Thanks very much for this. I suppose real risk concerns for archaeologists can also conveniently be incorporated into burgeoning legend in the same way as different legend motifs and ideas can be blended together.<br /><br />I particularly liked the alleged backstory about the prison inspiration for the halls of residence. The story about Girton College Cambridge is that it was built before it received its royal charter as a women's college. In case the charter was not forthcoming, the story goes, the building was designed for possible alternative use as a mental asylum.Paul Cowdellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03450745221810240378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3284602429922976266.post-37060608279902231342011-09-28T13:46:13.866+01:002011-09-28T13:46:13.866+01:00In Lampeter University in Wales in the 2000s there...In Lampeter University in Wales in the 2000s there was the myth circulating that our asbestos filled student halls (allegedly based on Swedish prison cells) where also built on top of a plague burial pit! Interestingly ancient diseases and poisons was a real concern for us as archaeologists - lots of drumming into us about washing hands and doing risk assessments before commencing digging. Some places could only be dug by archaeologist in protective clothing. Remember them saying that roman silver mines in Spain (I think) showed up as a layer of toxic metals in the Greenland ice shelf as well!Enthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07105812373247325370noreply@blogger.com