Studies of medieval skeletal populations in England consistently show that average male stature was lower than modern European averages, reflecting differences in childhood nutrition, disease burden, and overall health conditions compared to modern populations.

His build was assessed as stocky and muscular.

This is a skeletal inference: the attachment points of muscles leave characteristic marks on bone, and heavy use of particular muscle groups produces recognizable changes in bone morphology.

A man assessed as stocky and muscular was someone whose bones showed the marks of sustained physical work throughout his life.

The healed fractures in his skeleton are particularly informative.

Multiple fractures in different bones, all showing signs of healing, tell a story of a life that involved significant physical stress and, on multiple occasions, injuries serious enough to break bone.