St Mary Graces was a Cistercian abbey built on the ground that would later house the Royal Mint. The abbey had its own large burial ground that covered a substantial area. During excavation of the site in the 1980s, over 400 individuals were removed. Even greater numbers of the dead were revealed at this location - the abbey had been built on the site of one of the 'catastrophe' burial grounds created to accommodate the large numbers of those who died from the plague in the 14th century. After the plague subsided the catastrophe sites were closed, and the abbey of St Mary of Grace was built on the East Smithfield grounds. This image shows the site as it looks today.