deaths of children

[WHITSTABLE]

hello i wonderd if any one couled help me, i have been searching in the local cemetary millstrood rd in whitstable kent for some children that are all brothers and sisters  thay all died at diferent ages youngest died at the age of 0, the oldest 4 years, i can not find any children on the bmd apart from 3 of them wouled thease children be all burried together in a special place as i have looked in the whole cemetry and can only find the grandparents and the parents of thease children which looks like the grandparents was one of the first to be there as its right in the bottom corner, ,the children i am searching for all died betreen 1894 /1913 alltogether there wouled of been 14 children ,

[lizdb]

Headstones are expensive, and more often or not our ancestors did not have them.
I would imagine that the graves for these children are unmarked.

[bearkat]

The Community Bereavement Services at Canterbury City Council should be able to help you.


See their website for details of how to contact them:

http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=193

[Plummiegirl]

There was also right up til about the 1960's a regular habit of stillborn children being buried in the coffins of strangers (do not know if family were asked, I presume they were)
It is only a more modern thing for stillborn children to be buried by their parents.

I think this may have also happened in earlier times with children up to about 1 year of age.  It meant the child was not in a paupers/public grave.

If you have in your area a funeral directors who have been established for a very long time, they may be able to advise about this old custom.  Or if you know a retired nurse who was nursing during 60's they too should be able to tell you about this practice.

[WHITSTABLE]

hi thankyou i will ask my local funeral director see what thay say, unless thay are in a different cemetry as there is one just up the road, i know thay was not a poor family as my great grandfather had a well paid job:) liz

[leona6]

Hi All,
About the deaths of children, my Mother lost a baby in the late 1930's, he was premature, but lived for 3 days,my poor Mother never had the chance to bury him because the hospital put him in the incinerator, without permission or even notifying my parents until after the event when they asked where he was,this was in Birmingham, so I do not know if this was common practice elsewhere, obviously this could never happen now, and I checked and yes his birth and death were registered

[VeraT]

In the Cemetery in Alston, Cumbria, there were often up to four children buried in the same grave.  They did not all die on the same day and not all were related to each other.  I asked at the Records Office in Carlisle and  the Cemetery records were on fiche, so maybe other Record Offices do something similar.

Regards Vera.