Walton Park Cemetery, Liverpool

[Misterfyer]

One can get a better picture of the situation at Walton Park cemetery by GOING there, as I did yesterday (via Rice Lane City Farm, Rawcliffe Road). The researchers there are quite knowledgeable. The comment that information may be out of date is somewhat pointless, since that applies to all information. What is of more value is to have some idea of the actual probability of it being correct. Considerable research has been done at Walton Park cemetery, and this is in print. Whilst available information may not be complete and could also be flawed in some respects, it is better than speculation.
As I understand it, the cemetery dates back to the mid 19th century. There are something like 250,000 interments there. The cemetery is still in use today and there are occasional burials there. For the first 70 or so years of its existence proper plans of the site were seemingly not made, although the layout even from that time is fairly clear. However, since the early part of the last century plans were made and are in existence. Thus with a full plot reference it could be possible to exactly locate a grave site from this period. I say 'could' because there are areas of destruction (largely by trees) and also grassed over areas that would make it difficult to pinpoint a grave within more than a few metres. In some areas many of the masonry footings are evident and many headstones are still standing, although some have been moved either by vandals or by the authorities for reasons such as safety. These areas (of footings and headstones etc.) are not visible in satellite pictures because they are under well established wooded areas. One part of the cemetery in the NE corner (probably  an area used in the 19th century) no longer exists as it was used to build housing for prison staff. This is visible in satellite pictures. Some of the grave footings bear the plot reference and some have the masons name, etc.

So much for the layout. As for WHO is buried there, the records are probably almost complete - although possibly many unnamed souls are buried there (but even these are probably still recorded). However, it is only since proper plans started to be made (about 100 years ago) that it might be possible to discover exactly WHO is buried exactly WHERE.

Although there are pauper's graves and workhouse graves at Walton Park cemetery, there are other types. I am not sure that anyone can be clear about the meaning of these terms. I'm not convinced that a "public plot" is necessarily a "pauper's" grave, or that it was paid for by the parish. I was told that a "public plot" was one that could be bought by the public for a sum between 5 shillings and 15 shillings (although I don't know when this was). It could be that part of the area is not simply a cemetery, but a 'churchyard' since at one time the chapel there was consecrated (it's not now). Is there a difference between a 'cemetery' and a 'churchyard'.

The grave reference I had was not complete. There are four elements to a full reference {avenue (A-Z)} {cardinal direction (North, South, East, etc.)} {section} {row}. I'm not quite sure which order they should be in, but I think that if you have them in any order it would be possible to make sense of them and find the grave.  I only had "plot 11D". The 'D' gave me the avenue. '11' gave the section. I was missing the cardinal direction, so I didn't know which side of the avenue it was - it could have been either NE or SW in my case. And I was missing the row number - in my case there were 3 rows on each side of the avenue. I think the row would be given by a lower case letter, a through to f.

Good luck to others. M.

[Blue70]

Roman Catholic Paupers

"The remains of genuine paupers - those who died in a Workhouse or hospital, or perhaps aboard a ship, and who had no relatives willing or able to claim their bodies and pay for the funeral - were buried at the expense of the parish. The earliest official Parish Cemetery was opened in 1806 and many of the victims of the Irish Potato Famine were buried there. Up to 1890 Catholic paupers were buried at the Parish Cemetery. After this date they were buried, at the request of the religious authorities, in the Catholic section of Anfield Cemetery."

Source: http://www.liverpoolhistoryprojects.co.uk/liverpoolrcburials/


Parish Cemeteries:-

http://www.liverpoolhistoryprojects.co.uk/deathinthepooloflife/parishcemeteries/


C

[Misterfyer]

Thanks. I'm also curious about the term "public plot". Is this necessarily a pauper's grave?

[Blue70]

Public graves are not necessarily paupers' graves. There are no paupers' graves in the Roman Catholic cemeteries of Ford and Yew Tree. The public graves there are single interments. The burial was paid for by the family but they did not buy the plot:-

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~liverpoolindexes/facts.html


If you look at the Toxteth Park Cemetery website you will see both public and private grave records together in the one database including details such as addresses and occupations. You can see that there are people in public graves that were certainly not paupers. You can find out who else is buried in the grave whether they are family or strangers by clicking on the grave number:-

http://www.toxtethparkcemetery.co.uk/


I was looking at an image for Walton Cemetery on the burial records on Ancestry recently from 1915 and most of the people had died at the Liverpool Workhouse (Brownlow Hill) not the one you would expect West Derby Workhouse on Rice Lane. Walton was not a local cemetery for these people they had been buried there because of the arrangement the Workhouse had to bury "paupers" at the parish cemetery at Walton. People in the Workhouse were probably buried by the parish unless relatives made alternative arrangements. 

C

[JoanBorrowscale]

There are a few 'prison' wardens buried there, as it is next door to Walton Prison  - in Hornby Road
I really think it is not a cemetery but just a burial ground!!
I have just found that a very distant ancestor is buried there, and she was in the workouse 1891
as a needlewoman, but said to be infirm.

Joan B   

[Kevi]

With regard to Walton Parochial Cemetery, Liverpool, now operating as Rice Lane City Farm. I work at the farm and would refer you to my FaceBook page 'Rice Lane City Farm - A Personal collection of Photos and Videos.' If you scan down the page you will come across a hand drawn map showing the present layout of the farm/cemetery. There is also a lot of info about the farm/cemetery on the web - Robert Noonan aka Robert Tressell auther of the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, James Carling, illustrator for Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Freeman of the Titanic are some of the well-known people buried at the cemetery.

With regard to locating graves, we provide whatever assistance we can, but we are severely limited by a lack of available information. To my knowledge, the original plans and demarcations for the cemetery were detroyed during the second world war bombings.

There are large areas of the cemetery, particularly where mass internments of paupers, TB victims etc., took place, which have no graves stones or markings of any kind. I believe the cemetery was originally divided into four sections i.e. A, B, C, and D, which were further sub-divided into N, S, E, and W sections. However, based on confirmed grave identification numbers taken from War Graves (Listed by the War Graves Commission) located around the site, grave sections range from A through to Z. rows of graves are further identified by letters e.g. front row numbered 1,2,3..., second row numbered 1A, 2A, 3A..., third row 1B, 2B, 3b... and so on.

I believe the cemetery was deconsecreted in the 1970's, but because there are still family graves in use, burials have taken place after that time - The last burial was in 2009.

Incidently, the entrance to the cemetery is via the Rawcliffe Road Gate. The rear Dove Gate entrance on Hornby Road is kept locked for security reason - Don't park on Hornby Road, outside of Walton Prison as any vehicles parked there are regularly broken into.

Due to the difficulty in tracing graves it is strongly advised to phone with whatever info you have before visiting the farm. I am happy to report that we have helped people from across the world with locating graves at the farm. I am also happy to take photos of any grave located and e.mail them to interested persons. You can contact me via the farm on 0151 530 1066, ask for Kevin.

[MaryA]

Thank you for that useful information Kevin, I hope you won't mind if I post a link to it on the Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS Forum.

[whdsn]

My 2nd great grandfather william simmons is buried in walton park cemetery. He was buried there 1st apr 1881. grave area J7.
 can i find any information on his burial.

[JoanBorrowscale]

Re William Simmons burial in Walton Park Cem.    The burial registers are to be seen in
Liverpool Library     There are two sections      PAID     and   UNPAID.
As long as you have the date of burial it should be easy to find.   There are not a lot of
headstones  -  as the poorest of people are buried there.
I can help if you wish.
Joan Borrowscale