Author Topic: Which Cemetery in Northampton  (Read 8643 times)

Offline Ridgeback

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Which Cemetery in Northampton
« on: Monday 13 December 21 20:21 GMT (UK) »
Hello

I've come across the document "Removal of Graves and Tombstones" see attachment, those listed are my Great Grandparents. (they were all born & died in Northampton)

Would anyone have any knowledge of which Cemetery these were removed from and why.

Regards
Northamptonshire, Norfolk, USA

Online PalmTree1

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #1 on: Monday 13 December 21 20:47 GMT (UK) »
I have found a few of these recently and they refer to the Billing Road Cemetery in Northampton. Look in the page header for confirmation.

Regards, Paul
Palmers of Pilton, Ramsey, and Derbyshire - Berrills of Bozeat and Wellingborough -  Byles of Suffolk and Northants - Norris of Farnham - Morehens, Hills, Carters of Northants -  Smarts, Pettits, Woodings of Bozeat

Offline Ridgeback

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #2 on: Monday 13 December 21 21:04 GMT (UK) »
I have found a few of these recently and they refer to the Billing Road Cemetery in Northampton. Look in the page header for confirmation.

Regards, Paul

Thank you Paul for the Info, I must admit I didn't see the header detail first time around but I can confirm it is Billing Road.

Regards

David
Northamptonshire, Norfolk, USA

Online PalmTree1

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #3 on: Monday 13 December 21 21:06 GMT (UK) »
I scratched my head too the first time I looked but it is a frequent trick on Ancestry...
Palmers of Pilton, Ramsey, and Derbyshire - Berrills of Bozeat and Wellingborough -  Byles of Suffolk and Northants - Norris of Farnham - Morehens, Hills, Carters of Northants -  Smarts, Pettits, Woodings of Bozeat


Offline Ridgeback

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #4 on: Monday 13 December 21 21:40 GMT (UK) »
I scratched my head too the first time I looked but it is a frequent trick on Ancestry...
One question which you might not be able to answer, what happened to the Headstones and remains etc.

Regards

David
Northamptonshire, Norfolk, USA

Online PalmTree1

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #5 on: Monday 13 December 21 21:47 GMT (UK) »
Sorry David I have no idea though I suspect Sandy Hall will know the answer should she happen to look in.
Regards, Paul
Palmers of Pilton, Ramsey, and Derbyshire - Berrills of Bozeat and Wellingborough -  Byles of Suffolk and Northants - Norris of Farnham - Morehens, Hills, Carters of Northants -  Smarts, Pettits, Woodings of Bozeat

Offline cuffie81

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #6 on: Monday 13 December 21 22:53 GMT (UK) »
It looks like the council may have removed the gravestones after they took over management of the cemetery.

Quote
When Billing Road Cemetery was big business
It [the cemetery] was taken over by Northampton Borough Council in 1959.
...
They [cemeteries] are an outdoor museum, a place for reflection and spiritual renewal in a tranquil setting. They are also expensive to maintain, and councils, always seeking to cut costs, see them as a drain on the public purse; and so they must be turned into “open space” (some would say a green desert) for cheap and easy upkeep.
...
If you visit Billing Road Cemetery today you will find very little of its former Victorian garden atmosphere, with only a few scattered monuments remaining to remind us of the love, care and respect with which the dead were treated by the Victorians.

https://nenequirer.com/2018/06/18/when-billing-road-cemetery-was-big-business/


Another article online has a photo of damage that occurred during WWII. Damage aside, part of the photo shows an undamaged area, showing how densely placed the graves were.

Quote
Memories of Northampton Past: IN MEMORY OF NORMAN AMOS 1933-2011...
One of the early memories was when the Luftwaffe decided to drop a stick of bombs on the cemetery on Billing Road.
https://memoriesofnorthamptonpast.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-memory-of-norman-amos-1933-2011.html

Looking at the cemetery on Google Maps' satellite view, there appears to be very few remaining gravestones.

Google Maps: Billing Road Cemetery
https://www.rootschat.com/links/01r3y/


There are a few newspaper references to the deaths and burials. An item for Edwin's funeral states the internment was at the "General Cemetery", which I presume means Billing Road Cemetery and was a reference to the company that owned the cemetery, General Cemetery Company.

Northampton Mercury
01 Apr 1904
page 8
Deaths
In Memoriam
Smith
- March 26th, at 37, Stanhope Road,
- after a brief illness,
- Eunice,
- the beloved wife of Edward Smith,
- aged 66
- R.I.P.


Northampton Chronicle and Echo
21 Sep 1923
page 5
Deaths
James
- on September 19th,
- at 101 Oliver Street, Northampton,
- Edwin,
- dearly-beloved husband of Sarah Elizabeth James
- After a short painful illness, at rest
- Aged 60 years
- Funeral, 11.15 am, tomorrow (Saturday),
- St Matthew's Church


Northampton Chronicle and Echo
25 Sep 1923
page 5
In Memoriam
- Mrs James and Sons and Relatives
- of the late Mr Edwin James
- wish to thank very sincerely all friends and his colleagues
- for the kind sympathy shown in their sad bereavement;
- also for the beautiful floral tributes sent


Northampton Chronicle and Echo
29 Sep 1923
page 4
The Late Mr Edwin James
[funeral of Edwin James; see attached]


Northampton Mercury
28 Sep 1923
page 12
Oddfellowship
Nottingham Order A.D.A.
At Northampton
- The half-yearly meeting of members of the
- Northamptonshire Provincial Grand Lodge
- of the United Order of Oddfellows
- was held in Abington Parish Buildings, Northampton,
- on Saturday evening
...
- The Late Bro. Burgess
- Prior to the business of the meeting, the
- Provincial Grand Master moved a vote of the
- condolence with the relatives of the late Bro T. P. Burgess.
...
- The lodge had lost two of its members by death of
- Bro. Burgess and Bro. Edwin James
- Both had been laid to rest that afternoon
...


EDIT: Straightened newspaper image
Anderson Banks Beard Brewer Caves Clarke Clinch Cooling Cuff Denton Gamble Gibson Gunn Hunt Mills Muncey Norris Notzke Reid Robinson Searle Smith Trundle Turner Weedon Wells Wilson

Offline seahall

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 14 December 21 09:45 GMT (UK) »
Hi All.

Yes as stated it was Billing Road Cemetery previously the General Cemetery and stones were removed in the 1960's .

The stones were removed not the graves. In total there are only 476 remaining headstones.

I downloaded all the data on Ancestry which gives the grave numbers at the top of each page which amounted to over 4,000 images I put into folders as shown below.

Sandy


 
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Offline seahall

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Re: Which Cemetery in Northampton
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 14 December 21 09:48 GMT (UK) »
David if you would like the information from the Interment books I can type here for you for your listed family. Sandy
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