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Bosward Family Grave Sites

janeytg

knowlegable brummie
HI Members;:)

I am new to this forum and living in Ontario Canada trying to research my late husband's family who were all from the Birmingham,Warwickshire area even though some who were Wesleyn ministers and moved around a lot. they came back to be buried in Witton Cemetery.
I have called Witton long distance to try and get some info on the grave sites I have had a contact from Birmingham saying they would
be happy to take pictures of the headstones and send to me but I need to know the section where the graves are located.:worried:

I sent an email to the Witton Cemetery office and received a reply with an email site for Birmingham Council to seek cemeteries & burials
location, or opening that with my family name ''Bosward'' I get a reply no records under this name at Witton Cemetery,:broken_heart:

Can anyone give me ideas or suggestions where I can look next.:worried: your help is very much appreciated thank you.

Kind regards;

Janey:)
 
HI Janice;:)

Thank you so much for your reply. Yeah this is the same list I received from my contact in Warwickshire. , I think the other website I clicked on was not the same one you have just sent me as I see the list of Bosward names and second last William 1978 is my late father in law. I see what you mean by how expensive it can be so I don't think I will use this site. I do hope I hear back from Witton Cemetery with the section numbers for the headstones . and I can find someone to take some pictures. My family here have been hoping to make a visit over to see all the graves but with the 'Covid virus
restrictions for last three years it's been impossible.

Thank you very much for your reply , take care .:mask:

Kind regards;

Janey:)
 
Even if you get plot numbers you may find no stones.
I have usually found cemetery staff to be helpful but I know that at the moment many are working from home answering queries so it all takes longer.
Do let us know how you get on.
By the way Witton is huge - no chance without section and plot numbers.
 
hi...as janice said witton is huge..again as janice has said i have always found the witton staff very helpful.

how many bosward graves are you looking for...would you be able to give us their names..age at death and what year please...

lyn
 
Last edited:
Lyn - there is a long list on the bereavement site. All but one at Witton. Not sure which ones Janeytg wants. Some are listed on find a grave but no photos.
 
HI Lyn & Janice;

Thank you so very much for your kind replies to my query about my Bosward family at Witton Cem. I have the list of 21 names from the web site you mentioned Janice. Looking through all my hundreds of research files I do have most of their DOB & DOD. :rolleyes: rather a lot to list on here Lyn, but for instance my late father-in-law's granparents are James J.
& Hannah Pritchard Bosward both buried at Witton Cem. James Joseph (b) 23 Mar.1817-18; Belgrave Place.Pimlico Middlx. baptised 7Mar 1819 St. Margaret's Westminster.London. (d) Feb.1888 age 70yrs.occ; Engine Model Maker;
(married) Hannah Pritchard 17 Aug 1840 St.Mary's Lambeth.London.
Issue;
Eliza Bosward.(b) 1842.Samuel Thomas 1846-1921.George 1848-1878. James Joseph 1850-1920. I have an 1851 Census showing residence of James J.& Hannah P.Bosward at 13 Russell Place Birmingham.Warwickshire. I also have files of the original Bosward ancestors born London.Eng 1750 then moving to Alcaster,Warwick.Eng I have William (b) 18May.1771
(d) Oct.1849.occ;Carpenter.(mar) Sarah Carmichael; they had a son Samuel Bosward (b) 16Dec.1793.Harbridge.Hamps.
(mar)Mary Ann Hesford 15 May 1814 Westminster Middlx.London. they are the original parents of James Joseph Bosward named above. I also have a list of their other children.

This is a large Bosward family going back to '1680' :rolleyes: with no hope of tracing that far I would be happy to find the ones buried in Wotton Cem. I have memorials for others on Find a Grave as some were Wesleyan ministers and lived/died other places. I've had some great help from a kind gentleman in Warwick.Eng he still sends me any reference on the name Bosward he happens to come across,I'm very grateful ,I've only ever visited my in-laws in London Eng. but we hope to some day visit the Birmingham,Warwickshire area and see the Regimental Museum. four generations of 'William's were all members of the regiment including my late husband so it's a proud tradition in the family.

Thank you again for all your help and ideas for my research, bye for now.
Kind regards
Janey.:)
 
Apologies for eavesdropping on the thread - I used to work in the Pimlico area of London and, you possibly know this, Belgrave Place has very fine properties which are very expensive now - millions of pounds!
Good luck with your searching.
 
Hi Again:rolleyes:

I was just going over my files and wonder if this might be of interest as Lyn asked for names,age,date of death etc.
On the list of burials for W.itton Cem are four daughters of Samuel Thomas & Caroline Elizabeth Goldrick Bosward.
Issue;
Kate Bosward.(b) 1873 Douglas Isle of Man Scotland (d) Nov 1949 Gateshead Durham age 76yrs.
Florence (b) 1880 Scotland (d) Jan 1953 Luton Bedfordshire age 73yrs
Winnifred Maud (b) 18 Sept 1881 (d) Oct 1969 Luton Bedfordshire age 88yrs (retired)
Margaret Grace (b) 25 Nov 1885 (d) Feb 1976 Luton Bedfordshire age 91yrs (single spinster)

It would appear they were all brought back to be buried with their parents at Witton Cem :confused:

Kind regards
Janey.:)
 
hi jane i only asked so that i could check on the list of burials on the list for witton and yes the 4 daughters are definately there...i am not sure just how many more boswards you are hoping to find the graves of but i do think your best bet would be to wait for witton to reply to your email and hopefully they will email you a map of witton with all the grave numbers....could you let us know how you get on please..oh when did you email them

lyn
 
HI , this is getting to be a habit,,eh,,:):oops:

I just need to make a correction I have just found my late father in law death certificate and he is not the one buried at Witton Cem March 1978; Lodge Hill Crematorium. he is as follows;

William Charles Bosward (b) 13 Feb 1898 Smethwick Staffs. Eng . (d) January 17th 1979 buried with spouse Alice Marian Kinchin Bosward at Hendon Cem/Crematorium.Borough of Barnet Grt London.Eng. I have their info on my memorial page Find a Grave. grave site is 'messy' :broken_heart: we hope to get over there one day and clean it up with flowers etc.

Cheers:heart:
Janey.
 
Hi Lyn;
Thanks a bunch for your reply ,, yeah I do hope to find a ton of Boswards's buried at Witton so will be sure and let you guy's know soon as I hear back from them. I just emailed them about a week ago it was after my phone calls were going into an answering service, so I am sure they are busy with calls and if they are looking up records. I did receive an email from my contact with a map of Witton Cem he asked for the section & numbers, he was willing to look and take pictures of any headstones but I haven't a clue:rolleyes: I'm really hoping my late father in law buried his own parents at Witton his
father died in 1925 age abt 65yrs. not sure date of his mother Harriet Gray Wooldridge Bosward. she was a widow
when they married 1897 ,his father served in the Warwickshire Reg for abt;30yrs, India,Ceylon, S.Africa. he received a Chelsea pension of 40 pounds yr on discharge 1915, too sick to be in WW1, not bad money in those days ,,eh,,,:)

Will keep in touch,thanks again very much appreciated by the Bosward family over here in cold freezing Canada,survival
of the fittest,,,:laughing:

Cheers
Janey
 
hi janey its not that warm here either...yes please keep us informed of any delevopments...if you do not hear back from witton within a couple of weeks let me know and i will chase them up from this end...i only live a few mins from witton and am due to visit there as the staff said that after lockdown someone will actually take me to my grandads grave...i have his plot number and as he is buried along the wall of witton crem i have a very good idea to a couple of feet where he is but really need to find the exact spot...grandad served in france ww1 and luckily came back but he was never the same again...he had no headstone

talk soon

lyn
 
A possible anomaly to your lists of Boswards.

The William Bosward that died in 1849, registered Alcester, appears to have been a baby.
 
Thanks Lyn great news you live near Witton Cem and can perhaps find a few Bosward's when you are there for your Grandad. my sons & gransons here would be doing 'hoops' with any news. I just found another daughter of Samuel Thomas named 'Edith Bosward she was born in 'Leith Scotland which is in Edinburgh area ,when Samue T, was a minister there .Edith died May 1933 and buried near her father in Witton. Happy hunting,,:)

Kind regards
Janey:cool:
 
We tried to contact Witton several times, not even an answering machine so we contacted a lovely lady at Lodge Hill. There were two "possibles" on the Bereavement website and we wanted to confirm which one before ordering, she told us the right one but was not allowed to give the details. We did order online and the service was instant, there was an email with a link to the zipfile. It would be so expensive to do this for all the relations though!! I wish all the burials etc. were online like Warstone an Key Hill.
rosie.
 
Hi Rosie;
Thanks a bunch for checking out the Witton Cem and you didn't get lucky with the answering service and I got it all the way over here,,,boy they must be real busy these days while cemetery is closed for Covid. My contact i Warwick. has told me the same thing.so I guess I'll have to wait. We got so excited when Janice gave me the Bereavement Ser.B/Ham Council. we don't mind paying for copies but 10 pounds is a bit steep ,I only have one Bosward at Lodge Hill so maybe I'll check it out. thanks again appreciate your efforts.

Kind regards
Janey:cool:
 
HI ; Rosie
Forgot to say I have two Bosward brothers buried at Key Hill 1858 & 1859 Walter & Herbert. Can you tell me which
website the burials are online maybe I can find their gravesite too.thanks.

Cheers
Janey
 
Hi again, I just had a quick look and they are both in public graves not indidvidual ones but at least you can find the plots on the maps.
rosie.
 
HI Rosie & Everyone on the forum;

Just to let you know what a fantastic website Home is for the Key Hill & Wanstone Cemeteries.:joy:
There are hundreds of names & dates and all kinds of interesting information about the great city of Birmingham :D

Now I found my two Bosward brothers,Walter & Herbert their grave # section letter & number. I Have their DOB & DOD so I will add it to my Find a Grave memorial page and hope a kind volunteer may find them and take a picture.:joy:
Unfortunately Herbert is in a Public grave with '76' internments and Walter may be in one too asthere are 'O' internments at his location.
I'm not sure which Herbert he is I'm sure I'll find him in my files,however I do have a Rev.Stanley Herbert Bosward Wesleyan Minister.(b) Summercoates Lincolnshire 27July1890 who was a Granson of another minister in Denbighshire Wales . these guy's were all over the place.:rolleyes: so hope there is a connection somewhere.

The interesting part of theses cemeteries Rosie is they were founded by a Wesleyan minister John Wesley of Key Hill
opened in 1836 and resting place of so many famous Birmingham people.

Will keep in touch with you all,thanks again for your help.

Kind regards

Janey.( today is --28 C. freezing,,,it snows every night & day,,,Yuk):eek:
 
HI Guy's;:)

Here I am back after a stint of researching my Bosward family files:confused: and to let you all know as promised that I had some fantastic help from a friendly volunteer on Find a Grave who went way out on a limb and went to Witton Cem. and found all my family grave sites. he has posted the ones who are in public graves:worried: which has dozens of other interments. I can't
believe they would not have had money to bury the family in their own grave some of them were Wesleyan Ministers:rolleyes:
My volunteer did find one minister Samuel Thomas with a headstone and some family members buried with him but that is all, however I am grateful to him for finding their resting place regardless. There are two buried Key Hill & another cemetery and they are buried in public graves also. he did not find my father in law's parents buried anywhere in Witton or the other cemeteries I have sent him info where they lived in Smethwick Staffs when my father in law was born 1898 so he has sent me a website to write for info of Smethwick death & burials.:confused: so I will keep you all in the loop as to when & where I find the Bosward clan burials.

Thank you all for your help & ideas very much appreciated. :D

kind regards

Janey (freezing,snowy, messy Canada the country has gone to the dogs:oops:)
 
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