Archaeological Formation of Memory amongst 17th Century Scottish Prisoners of War

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Does a displaced individual choose to remember their past or forge a new path after facing the traumas of war, imprisonment, and forced labour? Follow the Battles of Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1651), Scottish prisoners of war captured by Oliver Cromwell were shipped abroad to locations including New England to serve a period of indentured servitude. None of these Scotsmen returned to Scotland, instead establishing new lives and communities. Arriving with no material objects or money to their name, how did these Scots honour and pass on the memory of their birthplaces and their families to their descendants? Through analysing and surveying archaeological evidence found in New England left by these Scottish prisoners, the data collected from their seventeenth century gravestones, probate records, and structures allows for determining if these Scotsmen maintained a Scottish identity and passed on a memory of their homeland to their descendants.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow