With contributions from Cirencester Archaeological & Historical Society, Cirencester Civic Society, members & friends
Pictured above: Cirencester parish church graveyard.
In the May 2024 issue of Snapshots, John Tiffney outlined the beginnings of a project to record all the grave markers which survive in the town-centre burial grounds. This article takes the story further to show how the recording of the tombstones has been achieved, and also to promote the availability of this information.
In the late 19th century, many graveyards attached to town churches were closed due to lack of space, forcing local authorities to find alternative locations. For Cirencester land off Chesterton Lane became the site of the new cemetery, opened in 1871.
There is a legal requirement to maintain records regarding the burial (or interment of ashes) within a cemetery. These burial registers usually contain the name of the person buried, the date of burial and the location of the burial plot within the cemetery. For family historians a request to Cotswold District Council would supply a quick answer when searching for the grave of a family member (either marked or unmarked by a headstone).
But, if I wanted to find a predecessor of mine who was buried in the parish churchyard of St John Baptist, how would I find out where their grave might be? The parish registers record births, marriages and deaths. Only if the family could afford or chose to erect a memorial would I be able to identify the grave site.
What are the sources that would help in my search? The first port of call would be the survey by Ralph Bigland in the 1790s listing all the tombstones in every parish. It seems that very few further surveys were undertaken until 1991 when local volunteers surveyed all the upstanding tombstones.
When first investigating the various sources I felt I could help by collating the information into one database which would then be referenced to an accurate survey of the graveyard. We wished to make it simple to use, easy to cross-reference and also to make it easily accessible to all.
For the parish church graveyard of St John Baptist, we had over 1900 records, all tabulated and recorded alphabetically by surname. These can be readily looked at through the website given below or by accessing the QR code at the end of this article. On this hopefully easy-to-use database, all the information can be downloaded to be viewed at leisure, in the comfort of your own home.
This initiative led on to the development of similar databases for all the other burial grounds within Cirencester. All are recorded in a similar fashion and accessed through the same website. They include: the graveyard of the former Unitarian Church in Gosditch Street (where Mighty Oaks are sited), the Quaker Meeting House in Thomas Street, the former Baptist Church in Coxwell Street, the Non-Conformist graveyard next to the Bowly Almshouses in Watermoor Road, and the Memorial Garden at Watermoor Church – a total of 3,172 records.
The records very much rely on the sources used and we are open to review any anomalies anyone might find. The database format has been extended, by request, to include Stratton church graveyard and we are in the process of finalising Siddington graveyard. Both of these projects have relied on local volunteers to compile the cross-reference of records to graves. The project is more than willing to consider extending the records to any other graveyard if so requested.
There are various initiatives to do similar work, some national and also many local projects. Historic England maintains a register of listed monuments deemed to be of national significance – elaborate chest tombs spring to mind. Caring for God’s Acre was established in 2000 as a national charity, promoting the conservation of burial sites and supporting the people who look after and maintain them. The data recorded is designed to complement Atlantic Geomatics’ Burial Ground Management System (BGMS).
The Church of England is undertaking a National Burial Grounds Survey, a project which will take many years to complete. There is also the website ‘Find-a-Grave’. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website records all graves within their custody.
Please also make a note of ‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’ from 06-14 June, promoted by Caring for God’s Acre and the local volunteers from each denomination, including The Friends of St John Baptist Churchyard.
Mike Timbrell
https://www.sitechsurveying.co.uk/graveyards
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