News
Channel Tunnel Rail Link Works Uncover C18th Archbishop’s Dentures
06/10/2006
Gifford archaeologists working at the new Eurostar Terminal in London have discovered a set of 18th century teeth that were worn by an Archbishop who fled the French Revolution.
The find made during an archaeological investigation of the site – part of a £1.9bn project to provide a faster link between the channel tunnel and the capital – may offer fresh clues about the development of dentistry in the UK, according to a paper published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ).
A full upper and lower denture, specifically moulded for Archbishop Dillon, was discovered with his skeletal remains. The teeth were ivory in colour and more worn on the left-hand side; suggesting that the Archbishop chewed more on that side of his mouth. This wear also distinguishes the Archbishop’s dentures from many others of the time that were purely for cosmetic purposes but did not aid their wearers in chewing. Another part of the dentures, a spring, was also discovered. The gold coiled spring measured 55mm in length and 3mm in diameter and was still slightly bent when discovered.
Author of the paper, Natasha Powers of the Museum of London, argues that the dentures were probably manufactured in France and brought into exile by the Archbishop, but notes that the significant number of French dentists who also came to live in London at the time may mean that they were constructed in the UK by an immigrant practitioner. They offer evidence of both the development of dental treatment during the period and of the presence of a significant French émigré community in London as a result of the French Revolution. The dentures will be on display at the Museum of London from 6 October 2006.
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