Prosthetic Limb

Results from our specialist Vicky Garlick, of the Artefact Conservation Service, Durham University, confirm that traces of bone, and possible mineral preserved wood, might suggest that this “band” supported a prosthetic leg.

In the photo of the “band”, a buckle can be seen as well as a fragment of the strap.

Andrew Tizzard BA Dip. Arch. PhD MCIfA of Border Archaeology has seen a similar “band” in a grave alongside a skeleton in London. This particular post-medieval find provided part of a support on which the individual’s residual limb could rest. The  prosthetic acted as a crutch with wooden sides partially enclosing the residual limb for greater stability.