Ryedale medieval women out-muscled their York counterparts (From York Press)

Ryedale medieval women out-muscled their York counterparts

9:32am Friday 18th December 2009

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THE medieval men-folk of Malton had their hands full, according to a new archaeological study.

Archaeologists comparing the bones of medieval Malton women with their city dwelling counter parts in York have found that the rural women were “big boned”.

The skeletons of females unearthed at digs in York and the ancient North Yorkshire village of Wharram Percy near Malton, reveal that the Wharram women were much more muscular and sturdier than their city counterparts.

Wharram Percy is the best preserved of the country’s 3,500 deserted villages and is today managed by English Heritage. Between 1950 and 1990 it was the scene of the longest running dig in British archaeological history. Now research has compared the upper arm bones or humerus of adult females from the village with those unearthed at a medieval burial site at Fishergate in York.

Simon Mays, English Heritage human skeletal biologist, said: “The differences were really quite pronounced. Women at Wharram were much more muscular and bigger boned than their city counterparts. “Whilst they were still doing the domestic chores and looking after children, as in York, they clearly also mucked in with the hard labour in the fields, building up their arm strength. The research underlines that the sexual division of labour was much less marked than in the cities.”

The Press asked City of York councillor Julie Gunnell if she believed the physical divide still existed today. However, she remained diplomatic, saying women today were more diverse in their shape and appearance.

“Women take care of their appearances for themselves now and it isn’t influenced by environmental factors,” she said.

However, Natalie Warriner, of Ryedale District Council, was determined to widen the divide between the women of ancient York and her rural female ancestors.

She scoffed at x-ray evidence which proved that women in medieval Malton were more robust than those of York.

“It’s a pity they don’t have photographic evidence of the fact that the brains of women in rural Yorkshire are bigger than those in York too,” she said.

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