In this week's episode, archivist Laura Yeoman from the Borthwick Institute at the University of York, explored how the life of Isabel German is represented in the books and documents that survive from the 15th Century. However, the written word isn't the only source we have for information about Isabel's life.
In 2007, during an excavation at the York Barbican site, archaeologists uncovered a skeleton that is highly likely to have been Isabel's. Her remains were buried in an apse behind the church altar, a highly unusual and significant location. At this time, only high-status individuals, such as clergy or the wealthy, were buried within church buildings, sand as an anchoress, it is likely that she was simply bricked in to her her cell after her death. The burial was also distinctive in that her skeleton was found in a tightly crouched position, which was likely to have been the position she died in. Anyone else would have been formally laid out, and buried along an East-West axis.
Assuming this is Isabel, analysis of the skeleton reveals fascinating details about Isabel that would not have been recorded in the written records. The remains show signs of severe arthritis, which would have been common for someone of her age in that era, and advanced syphilis. While we generally think of syphilis as a sexually transmitted disease, it can also be passed from mother to child, so we have no way of knowing how the owner of the remains contracted the disease. It can also lay dormant for decades so, if it is Isabel, she may not have shown any symptoms when she began her time as an anchoress. Alternatively, her health may have been a contributory factor as to why she chose to shut herself away in the Church. Syphilis was incredibly common in the 15th Century, and is estimated that around 20% of London residents had contracted the disease by the age of 30 at this time.
Isabel chose a path of spiritual seclusion, dedicating herself to prayer and living alone in a small room within All Saints Church in Fishergate, York. She would have had limited human contact through the window in her cell. She was also restricted in what she could eat and wear.
What makes Isabel’s life particularly intriguing is that her choice to become an anchoress was likely a deliberate and empowering one. In a society where women were typically expected to marry and submit to their husbands, Isabel's decision to live a solitary and independent life allowed her to control her own fate. Her isolation gave her a unique form of autonomy within the male-dominated medieval church.
Her story is a testament to the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of medieval religious life and provides invaluable insights into the experiences of women who chose to live outside the bounds of traditional family structures, making their own meaningful contribution to their communities and spiritual traditions.
For more information about the skeleton and the evidence that it is Isabel German, you can read the archaeological report online.
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