An Evaluation of Ancestral Diversity in 19th-Century South Shields

SUMMARY Bioarchaeological analysis of human remains from St Hilda’s Church cemetery, South Shields was undertaken to investigate ancestral diversity in post-medieval Britain. Methodological evaluations argue that when diversity is explored through phenotypic traits, biological affiliations are best investigated through dental morphology due to its resistance to exogenous influences, whereas cranial form appears to be increasingly influenced by environmental and cultural factors in the post-medieval period. A novel quantitative model was developed for a within-group analysis of dental morphology assessed through the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System, successfully identifying an ancestral outlier. An osteobiographical narrative for this individual, combining osteological and historical data with social theory, suggests that personhood is malleable and multifaceted. Ancestry is therefore most appropriately understood as one aspect of identity which also included sex, occupation, social status and linguistic affiliation.