REMAINS of a former lord mayor of London as well as those of a notorious criminal and political activists could be unearthed when excavation of an infamous burial ground is undertaken by the cross-London Crossrail project.
Crossrail-led research has identified the names and backgrounds of more than 5,000 people buried at the old Bedlam site at Liverpool Street in London.
Names include Sir Ambrose Nicholas, who was lord mayor of London in 1575, and Dr John Lamb (also known as Lam or Lambe), an astrologer and advisor to the First Duke of Buckingham.
Lamb was said to have been stoned to death by an angry mob outside a theatre in 1628 following allegations of rape and black magic.
Others identified in the research, carried out by 16 invited volunteers and covering burials in the 16th and 17th centuries, include victims of riots by "Fanatiques", noted in the diaries of Samuel Pepys in January 1661.
The Crossrail team will use the information when work to excavate 3,000 skeletons from the Bedlam site starts next month.
Jay Carver, lead archaeologist at Crossrail, said: "This research is a window into one of the most turbulent periods of London's past.
"These people lived through civil wars, the Restoration, Shakespeare's plays, the birth of modern industry, plague and the Great Fire
"It is a real privilege to be able to use Europe's largest construction project to uncover more knowledge about this fascinating period of history."
It comes after a landmark mosaic by Scottish pop art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi was dismantled as part of the Crossrail refurbishments.
Transport for London (TfL) removed three "highly important" mosaics that the Leith-born artist created at Tottenham Court Road Station.
The artworks, taken from above escalators at the station, have been removed and put in storage, with no plans for a rehang yet in place.
A spokeswoman for the National Galleries of Scotland, which hold significant archives of the works of Paolozzi, who died in 2005, said the institution was "sad" to see the mosaics go as part of the Crossrail refurbishments.
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