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St Martins Birmingham Look Ups

hi jane, the dates and names you have are correct. the extra info is joseph was a chair maker and living lombard street. all the best, shera
 
Hi Shera - thanks very much for that. May I ask how confident you are that it says chair rather than chain maker? I`ve seen this description on several census forms & birth and marriage certs and I`m still not sure which it is! I don`t know if it helps but Mary Ann Elizabeth had a brother Isaac who was also a chair/chain maker & in 1871 he was living in Brearley street & 2 of his daughters (aged 21 & 15) had the same occupation.

Jane
 
on the baptism record i would say it definitely says chair maker. it is very clear writing. if you wish me to send you a copy then please give me your email address via instant message. all the best, shera
 
Hello everyone
Can anyone tell me if there is a web site that as records of burials at St Martins in the bullring cemetery,or can help in any way . I never knew there used to be a cemetery there til the other day . The surnames im looking for are Eccles & Brookes right through to 1800s thats if St Martins is that old .
Many thanks
 
Ancestry has the burial records for St Martin's, it is a subscription website but they do have actual pages from the Parish Records. I think Familysearch, the Mormon website, have some and they are free but no actual pages.
I hope this helps.
rosie.
 
Some of my ancestors are Eccles' from Birmingham, but I don't think any of mine are buried at St Martins.

If you let us have their names dates etc myself or others may be able to help you.

Ancestry burial records start 1813 thru to 1915 for St Martins or you can buy a CD of St Martins parish records from BMSGH.

The CD has burials from 1554-23 Dec 1915 (with minor gaps) plus baptisms and marriages.

It's on offer at the mo for £40.00 from https://bmsgh-shop.org.uk/Birmingham-St.-Martins-Parish-Registers-DVMS2
 
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Hello i just seen this reply how i missed before now i do not know , but have these names and dates to try and find if they are at St Martins
im sure i seen the Caroline Brookes name on the wall last time i was in Brum wish i took photo now.
Caroline Brookes B 1820 D 1835 ,Luke Brookes B 1823 D 1880 , Rhoda Brookes B 1826 D 1830 & Alfred Brookes B 1850 D 1827 Would love to find out where these are buried St Martinss or Warstone/Key Hill . Many thanks Gibbo
 
All these are at St Martins.

There is a burial record for Caroline aged 14 buried 27th April 1835 daughter of Richard and Rhoda of New Canal Street.
I can't find Luke.
Rhoda aged 4, buried 31st October 1830, same parents. Address Cotton Street.
There is also a Sarah born about 1828 buried 17 October 1830, same parents, Cotton Street.
Also John aged 11 months buried 3 November 1830, same parents and Cotton Street.

A date is wrong on Alfred.

Janice
 
Thank you so very much for your time and help in getting this information im very grateful pjmburns
How did you find this information ? yes Alfred should be be 1927 .Looks like the parents lost so many children in one year.
Be interesting to find out why ? i do some work on that , once again thank you
yrs Gibbo1958
 
The St Martin's records are on Ancestry. The burial records stop in 1915 so Alfred is most likely buried in one of the city cemeteries and those records are at the library.
I felt quite sad recording so may deaths so close together of young children.
Janice
 
Yes it is sad i was thinking about it , must have been a awful time for the family . once again thank you for your time and help .
 
Hi,

Some of my partners ancestors are down as being buried at St Martins in the 1840's. Now I know the area around the church has changed a lot, but I have a couple of questions.

Was there a graveyard at the actual church at the time? If so when did it get covered up, do we know what happened with the bodies?

If there was not, then where would they have been buried?
 
Hi, There is a small cemetery in Park Street , this was used as an
burial ground for St Martin's. As I understand it may be dug up for the HS1 railway.
 
Hi Chesh, Yes, there was a churchyard at St Martins. According to 'Beneath the Bullring' by Simon Buteux, the Park Street burial ground was purchased in 1807 but in 1810 the churchyard at St Martin's was enlarged by extending it into Spiceal Street. Burials continued there but by 1852 the burials reached a peak (3,252). By 1873 the Secretary of State ordered that all burials in Birmingham churchyards should cease unless in walled graves or vaults in sealed coffins as they were causing public health hazards. The unused burial grounds were turned into parks as in Park Street which opened in 1880. So according to that information burials were still taking place in the 1840's.
 
Here's a not too great photo of St Martins taken in 1963 showing some of the graves and it appears, also, removing graves.
 

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  • St Martins Birmingham Bull Ring 1963 .jpg
    St Martins Birmingham Bull Ring 1963 .jpg
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I have the book Lady P mentions but I can't reach it at the moment, (changing things around!) I'm fairly sure most of the burials went to Witton?
It's a very good book, I had a reduction in price as it was damaged!!
I usually refer to Joe McKenna's book about cemeteries but it was written before they rebuilt the Bull Ring and removed the Churchyard, which in my opinion was desecration!!
rosie.
 
Rosie, I totally agree with you. Other cities have their churchyards intact and even if you can't find the actual grave of a relative you feel that you're close to them.
The same book (page 104) mentions the removal of remains in 1953 to accommodate the construction of the new church hall and vestry but it doesn't say where they went to. However, it goes on to say that in the 1960's many monuments and remains were removed to Witton Cemetery, as you say, to make way for the Bull Ring Centre. So although the burials took place at St Martin's and the records will say this the remains are at Witton now.
I was looking for a burial from the Old Meeting church (New Street Station area) and the staff were able to point me in the right direction and tell me if there was a stone or not. I actually managed to find it. If there has been a mass removal of remains there is usually a monument engraved with all the information and the individual stones are placed around it.
 
This is fantastic news and the information is brilliant, thankyou.
Yes you are correct with the Names, Addresses and Dates, but what is new is the burials, that is something I did not know. I am trying to identify Swain burials and relationships at Yardley Cemetery, one I have is William Swain intered in 1919 ther a number of Swains buried there.
One further question is has Lears son Henry, have any brothers or sisters ?

Hi Lear Swain is my 4th Great Grandfather , I have also started this family tree :)
 
This is fantastic news and the information is brilliant, thankyou.
Yes you are correct with the Names, Addresses and Dates, but what is new is the burials, that is something I did not know. I am trying to identify Swain burials and relationships at Yardley Cemetery, one I have is William Swain intered in 1919 ther a number of Swains buried there.
One further question is has Lears son Henry, have any brothers or sisters ?
My Grandfather ashes were laid to rest at Yardley . The last of our family I believe as my father is still with us.
 
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