Nunhead cemetery

[darealjolo]

I really would like a photo of a baby girls grave if possible but i dont know the plot number. I have the funeral card so know for a fact that she is there somewhere but do i really have to pay £15 just for the office to search, when i know she is there?

Thankyou

Joanne

[nigelp]

Hi Joanne,

Do you know whether there is a gravestone and accordingly whether there is anything to identify the location and photograph? Unless you are certain that there is a clearly marked gravestone it will not be possible to find the location without a search.

Depending on the date of death there is also the possibility that the plot may have been reused.

Nigel

[Valda]

Hi

This is what Nunhead cemetery looks like


http://www.worldofbadger.co.uk/2008/05/14/i-see-dead-people-a-visit-to-nunhead-cemetery/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/image_galleries/satellite_photos2_gallery.shtml?6


see previous post on the London board for other Rootschatters' experiences of searching for a grave in Nunhead (including my own)


http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,329194.0.html


Nunhead cemetery is now 52 acres of a fantastic natural wildlife area but it makes trying to find graves even when you have a map and a plot number quite hard.


The detailed help guide on London burials at the top of the London and Middlesex boards (always worth reading first) states


' Some older London cemeteries have been neglected and the gravestones have been degraded by pollution and general age. Part of Nunhead cemetery for instance is now a nature reserve see this article at BBC LONDON:  http://tinyurl.com/cdke93

.....Burial was an expensive process and most Londoners could not afford the expense of a cemetery plot, let alone a gravestone. Many Londoners were buried in common graves which contained other burials. Burial in a common grave was not synonymous with a pauper funeral. It did not mean the funeral itself was not paid for by the family.

Cemetery registers usually give the name of the deceased, age, abode and occupation, the date of death and of burial, and the position of the grave. These records are arranged chronologically, and are not indexed alphabetically, though some cemeteries may have some computerised indexes. If a private grave was purchased those records will indicate who purchased the plot, their address and when it was purchased and whether a gravestone was erected (though not whether it survives). The records will also indicate who else was buried in the plot, when and at what depths.'


If Southwark is only charging £15 that is phenomenally inexpensive for a London borough.

When I searched for charges displayed on London borough websites recently for another topic (Southwark asks you to contact them) this is what I posted

'Just as a point of information on London borough cemetery search fees - these are some of the current London borough prices from their websites

Lewisham's £30
Wandsworth £30
Lambeth £32
Greenwich £45

Quote from Merton's website

'Most boroughs charge for this service; we are happy to keep the rate at £45, meeting the average market price and enabling us to offer best value for money. The fee must be paid before we start the process and is non refundable, even if the search is not successful. '


Regards

Valda

[darealjolo]

Hello Nigel,

I dont know if there is a headstone, maybe i gave that impression by my post, sorry.
I have a funeral card for a Doris Ruth Jacob who died 11th June 1903, aged 11 months and 21 days old. At the bottom of the card it reads, interred at Nunhead cemetery on 15th June. There is also a photo of this preciousbaby in her coffin with the funeral card

Joanne

[darealjolo]

Valda,

Thankyou for all the information in your reply. I guess £15 isnt much compared to Greenwich £45. I thought that getting the plot number would be free especially when i have the funeral card.
I am looking into this for an American friend, the little baby is her relative. So is harder for her to do this from where she is.
From the replies on the other Nunhead post, looks like finding this grave would be very hard aswell, as earlier then some of the replies who were looking for relatives who passed away in the 1930's.
I can always write to the address with the information i have and see what happens.

Thankyou

Joanne

[Valda]

Hi

If this was not a burial in a common grave a cemetery search has the possibility of finding

'If a private grave was purchased those records will indicate who purchased the plot, their address and when it was purchased and whether a gravestone was erected (though not whether it survives). The records will also indicate who else was buried in the plot, when and at what depths.'

If a common grave then really the plot number is pretty irrelevant, but if it was a private grave then besides the information above, Southwark should supply a plot number and map of the cemetery. From that you can also estimate how near the grave is to a pathway. The nearer to a pathway the more likely it might be to find.

Nunhead cemetery is a very special place. Of all the places you can visit in London this one is very different and not at all well known.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200032/deaths_funerals_and_cremations/185/cemeteries/3


Regards

Valda

[darealjolo]

Hi Valda,

Thankyou for the link, i looked at the gallery, awesome photos. I would love to go there myself but a bit far for me to go on my own.

I will write to the address with a photo copy of the funeral card so they can see i have it and go from there.

Joanne

[mlrfn448]

First, check that the plot number is not actually written on the funeral card. They often are.

Otherwise the charge does not seem excessive to me.

In my case I already had the plot number, but even after the officials gave me verbal directions, with reference to two other graves, close to the footpath, I could not find the grave, even though i found the two reference graves.

The officials then sent me a plan. Using the plan still took me a while to find the grave, as the area was all overgrown.

The cemetery itself is very large, and has numerous burials. It would not be possible to locate the grave without a plot number.
Regards

[Valda]

Hi

The Friends of Nunhead cemetery

http://www.fonc.org.uk/

Once the square number and grave number are available, please pass these on to the Nunhead Cemetery staff, contact details given giving a return contact telephone number or postal address. Staff will assess whether or not access to the grave is safe.
Safe access to all parts of the cemetery is no longer possible.
Staff will let you know whether or not the grave can be found and if the memorial is present. Staff can arrange to meet the enquirer on site and show them to the grave.
Please do not attempt to enter woodland areas yourself as there are unstable monuments and unsafe trees present.


February 2010 photograph. With a cemetery which is overgrown if you want to try and find a grave it is best to visit when the undergrowth has died down

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_the_Cemetery.JPG



Regards

Valda