Introduction – Medieval Southwark and the Outcast Dead
“I have heard of ancient men, of good credit, report, that these single women were forbidden the rites of the church, so long as they continued that sinful life, and were excluded from Christian burial, if they were not reconciled before their death. And therefore there was a plot of ground called the Single Woman’s churchyard, appointed for them far from the Parish Church.”
— John Stow, A Survey of London (1603)
When John Stow was writing about Southwark, opposite the City of London, he would have been aware of the area’s licentious reputation — whether watching plays at the Globe Theatre, visiting bear baiting for gambling, partaking of its hundreds of inns and alehouses, or its brothels. 📚Read more: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Whether he knew the prostitutes were licensed by the Bishop of Winchester, whose London palace was in Bankside, is less clear. The Bishop’s connection to Southwark may seem surprising given his cathedral was eighty miles away, but his palace was strategic — located along Roman roads and midway between Rochester and Canterbury, it placed him at the centre of England’s pilgrim route.
The Winchester Geese – Not the Flock You Expect
Southwark’s prostitutes became known as Winchester Geese. Perhaps this was a jibe at a Bishop subverting the image of a Christian flock — the trusting sheep of a congregation — for the more aggressive goose.
Some say the hoods the women wore, hiding their faces from respectable neighbours, resembled a beak. The phrase “to be pecked by a Winchester goose” meant to contract a venereal disease, and some women may have shown visible signs of syphilis on their faces.
We do know that they were forbidden to wear an apron over their clothes, further marking them out as lacking respectability. Paradoxically, the Bishop of Winchester taxed their earnings — both profiting from and morally condemning them — until the system ended in 1626.
The Jubilee Line Extension – The New Millennium Meets the Medieval
In 1989, it was decided that the Jubilee line on the London Underground should extend to link the redeveloped Docklands with central London for the Millennium.
Work to clear space for an electricity substation just 400 metres south of London Bridge Tube uncovered a discovery that would change Southwark’s story. At the junction of Redcross Way and Union Street, workers found the buried remains of 142 people.
The depth and positioning of the bodies suggested this was just 1% of those buried here. Stow’s Single Woman’s graveyard had been found.
The remains were respectfully removed after archaeological work with the Museum of London Archaeology Service between 1992 and 1996. Seventy per cent of the skeletons were aged under 16, and some showed signs of syphilis — but these were not the medieval Winchester Geese. Instead, they were pauper graves of women and children from the early 1800s, considered unworthy of consecrated burial.
It appears the original Winchester Geese had been cleared away in death to reuse the burial ground, after the wardens of St Saviour’s Church (today’s Southwark Cathedral) leased the land from the Bishop of Winchester on 21 July 1808 for a 61-year tenure.
Overcrowding – The Curse of Southwark Life and Death
As industry grew, Southwark’s population surged. Dickens described deprivation here that went beyond slums into rookeries where police feared to tread, but illness did not.
Cholera struck at alarming rates. In 1833, William Taylor wrote:
“There is an unconsecrated burial ground known as the Cross Bones at the corner of Redcross Street, formerly called the Single Woman’s burial ground…”
(Annals of St Mary Overie: An Historical and Descriptive Account of St Saviour’s Church and Parish)
By the late 1850s, the London Burial Acts closed and cleared many grave sites, but Cross Bones was shut earlier that decade as a threat to public health. The Bishop then sold the land for building, and its occupants were once again forgotten.
Until the Goose Came Back – The Southwark Mysteries
On the night of 23 November 1996, local man John Constable felt visited by the spirit of The Goose — a prostitute who, through his art and mediumship, revealed the secrets of Crossbones.
He wrote The Southwark Mysteries to bring the outcast dead back into memory. These poems and plays were performed at the Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral in 2000, as the Jubilee Line opened nearby.
A vigil has been held on the 23rd of every month for 21 years, linking the living to those still interred. John moved to Glastonbury in 2016, and Bankside Open Spaces Trust took over the site with his blessing.
On the Sunday closest to the Feast of St Mary Magdalene (22 July), the Dean of Southwark leads a procession for the Act of Regret, Remembrance and Restoration. After the Bishops come the Bards, as pilgrims return to honour the dead.
Southwark – A Global Past and Future
Visitors come from across the world — outcast groups of all kinds. They tie coloured ribbons to the railings on Redcross Way, binding together Brazilian wish ribbons with English pagan traditions, creating a rainbow that recognises difference.
During lockdown, vigils went online as people sought hope. The graveyard became a shrine, and a 30-year lease was agreed to protect it. Today, a garden grows here, and carved wooden sculptures stand alongside the words of The Goose, gathering a new flock.
Crossbones Graveyard – Still Hidden in a Time of Immediacy
Run by volunteer wardens, the graveyard aims to open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12–2pm, but times vary. Entry is not guaranteed, and the site is best experienced in quiet contemplation or during a public event.
Visit Crossbones with London Guided Walks
Increase your chances of visiting by booking a private tour, and meet your guide Nikky for Southwark: Pilgrims, Playwrights and Prisoners private tour or guided walk.
