Cross Bones was a post-medieval burial ground thought to have originally been established as a single women's (prostitutes') cemetery in the 17th century in Southwark. By 1769, it had become a paupers cemetery and remained so until its closure in 1853. Roughly 15,000 paupers, half of whom were children, were interred there. Many of its occupants lived and worked in the surrounding area, which was impoverished and notoriously lawless at the time.
John Constable and Katy Nicholls founded the Friends of Cross Bones network in 1996 to protect the location and raise awareness of its historical and cultural significance. Their efforts culminated in the creation of a Garden of Remembrance on the site in collaboration with Bankside Open Space Trust. The Garden open to the public in 2015.