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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Wexford => Topic started by: shorts on Sunday 04 July 10 09:14 BST (UK)
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I recall reading a couple of years ago that the Wexford Town Council were holding some sort of open day to allow people to wander around the old locked up graveyards in the Town. I think it was around July time. Is this an annual event in the town or was it a one off?
The only old graveyard I have managed to gain access to on my last couple of visits was St Mary's Magdelan's in Maudlintown, south of the town and that was only because there was no lock on the gate. Luckily the vegetation had just been cut back on my last visit and I was able to gain access to some stones I hadn't seen before some of which go back to the late 18th century.
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Perhaps contact the Council and ask them.
Wexford County Council-
http://www.wexford.ie/wex/
Wexford Borough Council-
http://www.wexfordcorp.ie/bc/
http://www.wexfordcorp.ie/bc/OurTownandHistory/BurialGrounds/
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Unless you want to physically visit the graveyards details of all of them ,headstone inscriptions etc. are available for reference in the Wexford branch of the library. This is the result of the trojan work of the late Brian Cantwell and is titled Memorials of the Dead.
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I enjoy actually visiting these ancient sites not just for the genealogy but more for the sense of history. For such a small town it strikes me that Wexford has an awful lot to offer, what with an ancient Abbey, ruined churches, old graveyards with 1798 victims and with a large portion of the old town wall still standing. Not to mention all the old mystical lanes.
It's just a shame the council (no doubt due to health & safety/cost reasons) keep these places under lock & key.
I have trawled through the old burial registers held on microfilm at the library looking for ancestors but I would still like to take a wander around these places. On my visits I always take in Crosstown cemetery and would like to visit the other graveyards as well.
I'll see what the council have to say.
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The main reason the council might keep such graveyards locked is likely due to vandalism- they do seem to attract drink, drugs and other anti-social problems.
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I don't think that's why they're locked - if it is it's a flimsy excuse. They just need to be locked up each evening in the same way Crosstown Cemetery is. With the public wandering around the undesirables are unlikely to cause problems. Crosstown is open all day and I don't think it has too many problems other than the odd theft from the carpark.
A couple of years ago whilst visiting the St Mary Magdelane Cemetery I disturbed a gang of youngsters puffing away in the undergrowth and they were clearly quite shocked to see me and soon dispersed. It's when theses graveyards are locked up that they become safe havens for illegal activity. I know because I used to dance on the old vaults in the very same locked graveyard as a 10 year old 40 years ago!!
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Hi Shorts.I was born and reared right across the road from the St. Magdalen's graveyard and now live about 25 yards from it. Lately it has become a haven for winos ., sad to say. Like you I like to visit the cemeteries personally but I find Cantwell's a valuable tool for checking out particular stones. Especially those way beyond the confines of the town.
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Hi there
My mother lived close by in Saltee Ave from the late 1940's until moving to England in 1956. At the time she was working in the laundry in Dolphin Rd. In the 1960's and 70's I made a number of summer holiday visits to my Grandparents who remained in the Avenue until their deaths in 1976 & 1990 respectively.
Had some great summer holidays running the streets of Maudlintown with the Cullimores, Creanes etc and crab fishing down at Hole rock. Most evenings there must have been upwards of 30 kids messing around at the end of the Avenue until about midnight - no trouble back in those days.
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Looks like we were near neighbours ,your Mum and me. By the way it's Hore Rock, not Hole . Many's the happy hours we spent there and further down the line on Browne's Bank.er
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Hi All,
Does anybody know if the Wexford Librray undertake look ups for overseas researchers who cannot easily pop along to look through the Memorials of the dead?
My wife and I would like to know if any of the Staffords (my wife's maternal line) are buried locally.
Any confirmation would be appreciated.
Pity to learn that some of the old cemeteries are not open to the public. Maybe a petition to the local Council's is in order?
Regards to all our Irish cousins.
Kenny and Jane
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Pity to learn that some of the old cemeteries are not open to the public. Maybe a petition to the local Council's is in order?
It's already been mentioned earlier in this thread that the reason some old burying grounds are locked is due to vandalism and social problems such as drinking, drugs, etc.
Anytime I've wanted to look at graves in a locked area the council have been quite helpful and access was not a problem and Wexford is probably the same.
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Yes Agha the council is pretty accommodating regarding keys for the cemeteries .
Kojak, it's no bother looking up Cantwell's Memorials as long as you know the area etc. Stafford is not exactly a rare name in Wexford. There must be thousands of 'em.
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Hey Shorts, I think I have you now. If you have an uncle Paddy say hello to him from me. I'm from Magdalen's Tce so he will guess who I am. I see one of your families of interest is Curran's of Ballyvaloo .If you haven't already sorted them out I may be able to help you on that .
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Hi
As we've drifted off topic I've posted a personal message to you.
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Yes Agha the council is pretty accommodating regarding keys for the cemeteries .
Kojak, it's no bother looking up Cantwell's Memorials as long as you know the area etc. Stafford is not exactly a rare name in Wexford. There must be thousands of 'em.
Hi, That's good to know. Thanks.
I had been told to exact opposite by someone who used to live in the area. I guess the next step is to contact the library from afar first.
Regards,
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Hi Kojack
My wife and I would like to know if any of the Staffords (my wife's maternal line) are buried locally.
I assume by "locally" you're referring to Wexford Town itself. If so then most (but not all) burials post 1893 have taken place in the St Ibar's (Crosstown) cemetery. The register of burials is held by the 'Graves Section' of Wexford Borough Council. If you write/e-mail providing an approx date of death then in my experience they'll send you a photocopy of the page in the register.
The register contents are not held on computer and so if you don't have an approx date of death then it's unlikely they'll manually scour the register on the off chance of finding a relative as there are upwards of 7,000 people buried there.
Most deaths prior to 1893 resulted in burials in the old graveyards scattered around the town. The registers are on microfilm at the local library - see
http://www.wexford.ie/wex/Departments/Library/LocalStudies/Nowandthen/Thefile,1897,en.pdf
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Kojack , If you send me some approx. dates and areas I will check them out for you ,no problem
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hi shellback
many thanks any info would be great
according to the info in the 1901 census covering the townland of adamstown / barony of bantry wexford .
James Stafford was 47 years old
wife bridget 46
we have also found on the LDS site a bridget stafford dying in 1901 but aged 55 not sure if that is the correct person.
woukd appreciate if you could find any death record for james or bridget and any children ;
we know where peter died , there was a son mathew who was 10 in 1901 and a daughter margaret aged 16 in 1901 (who lived beyond 1923) any help would be greatly appreciated. ;D
If helpful please see 1901 census below:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001284535/
jane & kenny
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There's an excellent two page article in this weeks Wexford People newspaper (Wed 21st July) by Anne Marie O'Connor entitled "Wexford Town's Forgotten Historical Places".
There are features on the old workhouse, the Town wall, the old lanes and the ballest bank. In addition Anne has this to say on the old graveyards:
"...it's a tragedy that the place (John Street graveyard) where people should pay respects to the fallen heroes is essentially inaccessible to visitors and townspeople alike. It's a similar story in small graveyards peppered throughout Wexford..." "Locked gates, overgrown graves and dangerous underfoot conditions mean that those historical jewels lie unvisited and ignored in the heart of Wexford."
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Thanks Shorts for the librray info - very useful and we have bookmarked it !
Also, well said Anne Marie - I couldn't have said it better meself.
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May not be much use but here are some pictures of the graveyards in question
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Hi,
it is possible to collect the KEY to open the locks in Wexford Town
(one Key fits all) at the office http://www.wexfordcorp.ie/bc/
Cresent Quay, Wexford