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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Renfrewshire => Topic started by: kieran257 on Tuesday 08 April 14 13:43 BST (UK)
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Hi all,
I am hoping that someone might be able to take a few photos of two headstones in Hawkhead Cemetery in Paisley, Renfrewshire. The plot numbers are 814/815 and in section C.
Thank you all very much for all your help it is very much appreciated
Kieran
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What are the names on the stones ..... I'll try and get over there in the next few days
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It's a double plot with a single stone ... The following is the text from the stone -
Erected by Ellen Dorris in memory of her dear father
Patrick Slevin
Died 14th August1928 aged 78
Also her dear mother
Mary A Mcculloch
Died 25th September 1929 aged 75
Her grandmother
Margaret McKenna
Died 5th November 1908 aged 66
And her grandmother Ellen Slevin died 4th July 1891 aged 55
I will forward the photographs when I return to my computer tonight
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Do you know, or does anyone else know, if the Inscriptions for Hawkhead Cemetery have been published yet? I believe Renfrewshire Family History Society were about to publish them a while ago but don't know if they ever did.
I am hoping one day to find information about the grave of a Harold A Holmes who died there on 18 Dec 1917. He was a qualified Doctor when he was admitted there in 1904. He was born in Manchester in 1867. I have his death certificate, and even his Hawkhead hospital records, which I got from the Mitchell Library, so I know he must be there in the cemetery. I would like to know what is written on his gravestone. Trying to discover if his family completely turned their backs on him, or if there is perhaps a decent gravestone erected by his wife, Edith Rachel Wilson.
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Can I ask if you know for definite that he was buried there or are you assuming because he died in Hawkhead Hospital that he is buried there?
Was he Roman Catholic?
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Hi all,
Thank you all very much for all your help but I have now photos of the headstone that were kindly taken by Falkyrn
Thanks again for all your help
Kieran
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Caroline,
I have no certain proof that he was buried there, but I think his closest relatives were so ashamed of him being there that they hushed up his stay in Hawkhead. He was my mother's grandfather and whenever my mother asked her mother about what happened to him, she always just said, "We don't talk about that." My mother knew there was a mystery there but still didn't know the truth when she died in 2005. It was only in 2010 that my sister and I discovered his death cert and saw where he'd been during the missing years from 1904 onwards.
His wife lived in Glasgow then in Gourock much of the time he was in Hawkhead but died at Manchester in 1949. I think there is a strong possibility that he is at Hawkhead but, as I say, there is no certain proof.
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Caroline,
I have no certain proof that he was buried there, but I think his closest relatives were so ashamed of him being there that they hushed up his stay in Hawkhead. He was my mother's grandfather and whenever my mother asked her mother about what happened to him, she always just said, "We don't talk about that." My mother knew there was a mystery there but still didn't know the truth when she died in 2005. It was only in 2010 that my sister and I discovered his death cert and saw where he'd been during the missing years from 1904 onwards.
His wife lived in Glasgow then in Gourock much of the time he was in Hawkhead but died at Manchester in 1949. I think there is a strong possibility that he is at Hawkhead but, as I say, there is no certain proof.
Hawkhead hospital in Paisley ( near the cemetery) was an infectious diseases hospital. Reading between the lines and given the stigma attached to mental illness it is more likely that your man was admitted to Hawkhead Hospital in Glasgow (This hospital, a fraction of its previous size, has been known as Leverndale for a number of years). Unfortunately this makes the link with Hawkhead Cemetery a bit more tenuous. Although only a few miles from the Paisley Cemetery it is in a different County area and there is no "natural" connection between them.
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M.R.
I have the death certificate and it says (clearly in typed letters) that he died at Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley. He did have an infectious disease.
Hawkhead Asylum in Paisley became a Glasgow Corporation hospital in 1930 and joined the NHS in 1948. Leverendale Hospital was adopted in place of Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley in 1964.
I didn't know that Hawkhead Asylum was for infectious diseases. My ancestor was certified insane on admission. He was said to be insane, suicidal and dangerous.
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I believe Renfrewshire Family History Society were about to publish them a while ago but don't know if they ever did.
Still showing as a work in progress on their site:
http://www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk/projects.html
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Scotsmum,
That is Brilliant! That is exactly what I wanted to know. I was in two minds as to whether they had finished and published the project's results. As long as I know that they are still working on it, that is fine. I will keep checking. What exactly did you google to get their latest magazine to appear on screen?
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M.R.
I have the death certificate and it says (clearly in typed letters) that he died at Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley. He did have an infectious disease.
Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley actually existed in both Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. The place was built by Govan Parochial Board in the 1890's and became a part of Glasgow in 1912 when Govan was annexed by the City although Govan Parochial Board continued to be responsible for the management of the place. Around 1914 the Asylum encroached further in Renfrewshire by acquiring Hawkhead House itself.
The County and Registration District Boundaries actually ran through the middle of the place and if memory serves me right there was one ward where which Registration District was used could be determined by which bed the patient died in. Some wards were wholly in Renfrewshire others in Glasgow. The place was massive with its own farms, a 9 hole golf course and several large woodwork and metalwork workshops.
Hawkhead Asylum in Paisley became a Glasgow Corporation hospital in 1930 and joined the NHS in 1948. Leverendale Hospital was adopted in place of Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley in 1964.
In the 1930's there was a massive reorganisation of local authorities in Scotland - Glasgow became a County in its own right and a number of smaller historical administrative bodies were done away with - the name Leverndale Hospital was adopted in the 1960's (although all of the bedding and utensils used still bore the old logo of a Hawk's head)
I didn't know that Hawkhead Asylum was for infectious diseases. My ancestor was certified insane on admission. He was said to be insane, suicidal and dangerous.
Hawkhead Asylum was not an infectious diseases hospital (confusingly Hawkhead Hospital in Paisley was - it was a purpose built hospital constructed on farmland in the 1920's or 1930's).
Paisley originally had two Mental Health Centres one was known as Paisley North, around the Sneddon area (just north of the modern town centre) and Paisley South which was in Craw Road. Both were later closed in favour of Dykebar Hospital although the Craw Road premises continued as an annex of the Royal Alexandra.
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The hospital issue is such a mix up that I think I will just go down the path of searching cemetery records and go straight for finding out what is inscribed on his gravestone, if he even has one! For all I know, his family rejected him and when he died maybe he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. I would like to find that out - whether he was given a decent gravestone or not.
Thanks for all your help folks.
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As MR Dien has indicated Hawkhead Asylum was basically a Govan/Lanarkshire/Glasgow Hospital with little to link it to Paisley other than the name - which actually came from the extensive estates on which they were all sited.
If the family did not "claim" a deceased person the hospital would have arranged a so called "paupers" funeral in which case he would have been buried in the common ground area of the cemetery without any marker or headstone.
In those circumstances I would very much doubt that one local authority would pay another one the fees involved when they had the facilities in their own area (although slightly further away).
Glasgows cemetery records have been recently digitised but are not available online. If you contact the Mitchell Library in Glasgow they may be able to advise if there is a fee involved in searching the new records for you.
If however some member of the family did claim him they were free to make their own funeral arrangements, although again there is a Glasgow link rather than Paisley and we return to the records at the Mitchell.
Re Hawkhead Cemetery if you do manage to get a plot number and require a photograph of it just send me a PM with the details.
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Falkryn,
Thank you. It might take some time before they complete the Hawkhead cemetery records. I suspect it might be quite a large cemetery.
I would love to find a decent gravestone. There is a granddaughter of his who is still alive, aged 80, living in Manchester. She especially would be interested in any information about the existence of a gravestone.
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Falkryn,
Thank you. It might take some time before they complete the Hawkhead cemetery records. I suspect it might be quite a large cemetery.
Although not as large as some cemeteries I know, Hawkhead is quite extensive
It may be better to contact Renfrewshire Council who hold the actual burial and lair records for Hawkhead cemetery - they should be able to tell you if your man was buried there and if he is they could supply a lair number. (armed with a lair number it is relatively easy to find a particular grave) I don't know if they (Renfrewshire) charge a fee for this , Glasgow used to but now tell every enquirer to contact the Mitchell Library.
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I tried a google ... Hawkhead Cemetery, Paisley - Inscriptions from gravestones.
A list came up. I clicked on Happy Haggis site. They have plenty of information from the gravestones about the War Dead, and some info about other graves, but the name I am looking for wasn't there.
At the top of this page, it says that the the full cemetery information is not completed. ... ... I also saw somewhere else, a page from the Renfrewshire Family History Society. It was their latest magazine, and it also says that the information has not been completed.
I will just be patient and wait.