Documents
Abbreviations
BP = Burial Plan, BT = Bishop’s Transcripts, CWG = Commonwealth War Grave, d. = died, GoR = Garden of Remembrance, MI = Monumental Inscription, OC = Old Churchyard, PR = Parish Register, Slay = transcript of MIs by Katherine Slay.
Other abbreviations are listed at the start of the documents in which they are used.
Index of Burials to 1887
This index has been compiled from the parish registers (PR), Bishop’s Transcripts (BT) and inscriptions on headstones (MI). The “Notes” in column 5 are currently based on these sources only. The names of all those parishioners buried before 1610, and many buried between 1610 and 1711, are not recorded in these sources, and are therefore unknown to history, though “known to God”.
If the person buried has a headstone, the number in column 1 shows where to find it in Katherine Slay’s transcription, and in her plan of the Old Churchyard.
In Column 4 the date of death, where known, is listed, rather than the date of burial.
Until 1752 the year began on 25 March and ended on the next 24 March. An entry in the index such as 15 Feb 1671/2 indicates that the year is 1671 in the original record, but 1672 by modern reckoning.
Index of Burials from 1888
This index is based on the parish registers (PR), the Burial Plan (BP) and inscriptions on headstones (MI). Column 1 shows the location of each burial in the 1888 or 1938 Extensions, e.g. ’14.022’ means Row 14, Plot 22. Otherwise OC means Old Churchyard, and GoR means Garden of Remembrance. If no location is given, this means that the burial is recorded in the parish register, but we do not know the location.
In Column 4 the record of the existence of a memorial such as a headstone, vase etc. may come from the original Burial Plan, from Katherine Slay’s transcription, or (for recent burials) from our own inspection. But these records have not been fully verified onsite or updated. Not all of the older memorials are still present today. Abbreviations: A = Ashes?, A* = Ashes specified in PR or other source, C = Curb (or cross?), CW = Wooden Cross, CWG = Commonwealth War Grave, IC = Iron Cross, O = Ornament, S = Headstone, V = Vase.
In Column 5, the date of death (where known) is listed, rather than the date of burial. SB = stillborn.
In Column 6, the information is based chiefly on the PRs and MIs. Much more information is available in the Databases (files 5 and 6).
This index includes individuals commemorated on MIs but not buried here, and others who may or may not be buried here.
View Index of Burials from 1888
DATABASE of the 1888 Extension
We have now completed our work on the 1888 Extension, which contains some 1,250 individual burials, very roughly one-third of all burials recorded in the churchyard. Because of the numbers involved, we have relied chiefly on the evidence of the Censuses, and on records of BMD’s (births, marriages and deaths), with occasional use of newspaper reports and obituaries, when we were lucky enough to find them. If you have family information or photos that could give a fuller picture of an individual, please do get in touch through the contact form, or directly to johngfitch51@gmail.com.
The work on Rows 3-22 has been done by John Fitch, Pauline Pearson, Dennise Lane and Ken Green, with contributions by Rosie Speer and Diane Evans. The entries in Rows 1-2 were compiled by the late Ken Green, and we have left them untouched as a memorial of his lively style.
View Database of the 1888 Extension
DATABASE of the 1938 Extension
We have done some sporadic work in this area, usually because the individuals concerned were related to people in the 1888 Extension. Since these burials are more recent, it is likely that families will have memories and photos of the people buried. If you feel able to share them, we would love to hear from you through the contact form provided on this website.
View Database of the 1938 Extension
Burial Plan of the 1888 and 1938 Extensions
The Plan shows who is buried in adjacent graves – often people who are related but have different surnames. It also enables us to trace the historical progress of burials row by row. We have to thank successive Churchwardens, including Ken Green, for maintaining this Plan, which until recently was the only record of the location of individual burials.
View Burial Plan of the 1888 and 1938 Extensions
History of the Churchyard
The History traces the development of the Churchyard, and provides some context for individual burials. Please note that the History is copyrighted, and should not be copied without permission.
Plans of the Churchyard
Plan A shows the various sections of the Churchyard in relation to each other and to the Old Church and surrounding streets. Plan B, by Katherine Slay, shows the location of headstones in the Old Churchyard; it is keyed to her transcription of the inscriptions on the stones. Plan C, by Ken Green and Hilda Yardley, shows the layout and numbering of the 1888 and 1938 Extensions.