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Witton Cemetery Sections1 and 5

T

TheRealMe

Brummie babby
Hi all, looking for some help, I have located 2 graves I have been looking for for sometime now, the graves are apparently located in Sections 1 & 5, however all the maps I have seen do not show these two areas. Does anyone have a map they can either send me or upload to this site please? I was hoping to see them on the map before I go at the weekend.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Ron
 
Hi Ron I don’t know if this map is any good to you at all
Laraine
 

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laraine said:
Hi Ron I don’t know if this map is any good to you at all
Laraine
Click to expand...

Hi Laraine, many thanks, but that doesnt show the areas I am looking for, I have a couple of maps of Witton and neither show these areas. I appreciate you uploading it though, many thanks once again

Ron
 
It looks as if they ought to be where the road goes. Is it possible to phone the office before you go in case they no longer exist?
 
ive got the same map pen my grandad is in section 3 as you go in through the ridgeway road entrance hes on the left but i cant see plot number 1 and 5 either

lyn
 
TheRealMe said:
Hi Laraine, many thanks, but that doesnt show the areas I am looking for, I have a couple of maps of Witton and neither show these areas. I appreciate you uploading it though, many thanks once again

Ron
Click to expand...
No problem Ron, I hope you find what you are looking for soon
Laraine
 
Looking at the map it looks as though the two areas in question should be where the Ridgeway goes, as Janice says. Not sure if there was a road in the same place originally but the cemetery pre-dates the housing estate by many years and the road may have cut into it. Would be good to find an earlier map - pre 1868? Also if the grid lines are continued they would go across where the Ridgeway dips. However, if the graves were moved then the office would be able to check where the remains were re-interred. They usually ask for the date of death when you ring.
 
TheRealMe said:
Hi all, looking for some help, I have located 2 graves I have been looking for for sometime now, the graves are apparently located in Sections 1 & 5, however all the maps I have seen do not show these two areas. Does anyone have a map they can either send me or upload to this site please? I was hoping to see them on the map before I go at the weekend.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Ron
Click to expand...
Ron, I have a map in my hand, it does not seem to make a lot of sense. It does not have 1 or 5, looking at the map its seems to not have 7 or 8. Looking closer at map the numbers seem to have very little order.
At the top of the map it does have a phone number 0121 356 4363, they may be able to offer you some help/advice.
My grandfather / grandmother and uncle are buried at Witton cemetery in "pauper graves" so all I know is area, because its "pauper graves " no marking.

Hope this is of some help, please come back to me if you feel I can help in any way.
If you work it out, I would be interested.

Nick S Phillips.
 
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Nick Phillips said:
Ron, I have a map in my hand, it does not seem to make a lot of sense. It does not have 1 or 5, looking at the map its seems to not have 7 or 8. Looking closer at map the numbers seem to have very little order.
At the top of the map it does have a phone number 0121 356 4363, they may be able to offer you some help/advice.
My grandfather / grandmother and uncle are buried at Witton cemetery in "pauper graves" so all I know is area, because its "pauper graves " no marking.

Hope this is of some help, please come back to me if you feel I can help in any way.
If you work it out, I would be interested.

Nick S Phillips.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick, my map is missing areas 1, 5, 6 & 7. Area 8 is on my map, if your message is not a typo, please let me know and I will let you have a copy of my map.

Many thanks everyone, I 'may' have the answer, I have been in touch with Witton and it seems the graves I am looking for are not in areas 1 and 5 after all. I have a new location now and will be going at the weekend to find them and will report back here.

Once I have found the ones I am looking for, I will then see if I can find out where areas 1, 5, 6 & 7 have disappeared to, or if they were ever there in the first place.

Thanks again all, I appreciate all the help and advice I have been given in this thread.

Stay safe

Ron
 
TheRealMe said:
Thanks Nick, my map is missing areas 1, 5, 6 & 7. Area 8 is on my map, if your message is not a typo, please let me know and I will let you have a copy of my map.

Many thanks everyone, I 'may' have the answer, I have been in touch with Witton and it seems the graves I am looking for are not in areas 1 and 5 after all. I have a new location now and will be going at the weekend to find them and will report back here.

Once I have found the ones I am looking for, I will then see if I can find out where areas 1, 5, 6 & 7 have disappeared to, or if they were ever there in the first place.

Thanks again all, I appreciate all the help and advice I have been given in this thread.

Stay safe

Ron
Click to expand...
Hi Ron, I live very close to the Cemetery, so today (03/02/2021) I went down to ask if someone could explain the layout at 10.00 hrs. Today its only open to the public from 14.00hrs - 16.00hrs but tomorrow its open all day the poor guy on the gate could not explain why, neither could he explain the layout. if you look for 82 at first you will not find 83 because its next to 102 the lay out is strange.
I think before you travel you would be advised to ring cemetery office, 0121 303 4363 to check opening hours.

Nick Phillips ‍♂
 
Out of interest does anyone know what it means when someone is buried in Unconsecrated Ground? Would it be because of religious reasons?
 
It can be to do with religious reasons I think but I also believe suicides were buried in unconsecrated ground. Not sure when regulations changed regarding burial of suicides.
 
Janice,

Apparently Catholics officially relaxed the rules in 1962, though it seems it was mostly ignored before that date in recent years. Whereas the restriction in the Church of England was only completely done away with as recent as 2016. But, of course, this applied to churchyards rather can public cemeteries which even cater for atheists! They simply don't care how you died. :)

Maurice :cool:
 
I have a relative who was buried in a Pauper's/Common grave at Witton cemetery.

I visited the site about three years ago. I found the staff in the visitors centre to be very helpful. I gave them as many details as I could and they located the burial site for me.

The 'site' is a rather large area that only has what look like tent-pegs stuck in the ground. Each peg signifies a square or plot that may contain sixty or seventy burials.

My relative is buried in plot 120.

I have attached a picture showing where plot 120 and other plots are located. There are no other plans or info available.WittonGraven01.png
 
AMW said:
Out of interest does anyone know what it means when someone is buried in Unconsecrated Ground? Would it be because of religious reasons?
Click to expand...
It used to be criminals (or certain ones at least) and unbaptised babies. Awful to mention them in the same sentence.
 
Lady Penelope said:
It used to be criminals (or certain ones at least) and unbaptised babies. Awful to mention them in the same sentence.
Click to expand...
Need to check this, but if memory is correct execution person were not buried in consecrated ground also (little unsure) they were buried in prison grounds.

Nick S Phillips ‍♂️ .
 
Interestingly the entry I have found is for Edith Downs a 70 year old woman in Newcastle under Lyme in 1957. She died in
Chell Hospital, Stoke on Trent.
 
AMW said:
Out of interest does anyone know what it means when someone is buried in Unconsecrated Ground? Would it be because of religious reasons?
Click to expand...

I have just found the coloured map of Witton Cemetery and was very surprised to find that my grandparents are buried in 'unconsecrated' ground. They're not far past the present office. The first person to be buried in the triple grave was my Aunt who died in her 30's during the mid 1930's. She attended chapel so maybe they didn't want a C of E plot. Very interesting!
 

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How interesting Lady P..... I've found another 3 people in 'unconsecrated' ground I wonder what it all means. They seem to have been married in a C of E church. I don't think they would have all committed suicide or changed religion.
 
A quick internet search suggests that consecrated ground means C of E and other denominations get unconsecrated ground.

The way I understand it is that the consecrated section of an English local authority cemetery is consecrated by the Church of England and is reserved for Church of England burials only. The unconsecrated section is for all other denominations or religions or non-religious burials.

From British Genealogy website
 
Last edited:
Nick Phillips said:
Hi Ron, I live very close to the Cemetery, so today (03/02/2021) I went down to ask if someone could explain the layout at 10.00 hrs. Today its only open to the public from 14.00hrs - 16.00hrs but tomorrow its open all day the poor guy on the gate could not explain why, neither could he explain the layout. if you look for 82 at first you will not find 83 because its next to 102 the lay out is strange.
I think before you travel you would be advised to ring cemetery office, 0121 303 4363 to check opening hours.

TheRealMe said:
Thanks Nick, my map is missing areas 1, 5, 6 & 7. Area 8 is on my map, if your message is not a typo, please let me know and I will let you have a copy of my map.

Many thanks everyone, I 'may' have the answer, I have been in touch with Witton and it seems the graves I am looking for are not in areas 1 and 5 after all. I have a new location now and will be going at the weekend to find them and will report back here.

Once I have found the ones I am looking for, I will then see if I can find out where areas 1, 5, 6 & 7 have disappeared to, or if they were ever there in the first place.

Thanks again all, I appreciate all the help and advice I have been given in this thread.

Stay safe

Ron, I have three (3) maps in my hand, two (2) of the map appears to be the same but the third map is very difficult (impossible) to read. But the plots appear to be larger. It does have numbers but I can't read them.
But if you look at phone number for the cemetry its 0121 on each of the maps not sure when Birmingham started to use this code.

Ron next week I will ring the office and ask if I can visit to see if any one can explain my maps.
Click to expand...
Ron
Nick Phillips ‍♂
Click to expand...
 
Until I saw this map I did not realise the unconsecrated ground was so large. Anyone know how they decided it and indeed what is the difference. Was this related to Catholicism or C of E? My parents and eldest brother are buried right on the edge
 
Not sure but Witton opened in 1863 at a time when many C of E churches had their own burial grounds. If the reason given in post # 24 is correct then it would be most likely be other denominations (whose churches have no burial grounds) who would need to use council cemeteries. Nowadays most church burial grounds are full and so burials tend to take place at council sites or funerals at crematoria.
Just a suggestion.
 
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