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Burials

terryb18

terryb18

Gone but not forgotten R.I.P.
In 1897/98 my grandparents had 3 children up to the age of 3 interred at Witton cemetery. Now I know for a fact that they had no money,so my question is, would they have had help in costs from anywhere? And also, how would they have travelled to there, they lived in Hockley and I am assuming they had an horse drawn hearse, but how did they travel? Another question is why Witton, and not nearer places like Warstone Lane or Handsworth? They had 14 children in total with my father being the last one born. My grandfather died in 1914 so money must have been tight.
So I guess my question would be, How did poor people afford funerals? I know all about paupers funerals, so is that the answer?

Terry
 
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Terry,
Good chance that by 1897 Witton was undercutting Key Hill & Warstone lane for price, trying to establish a 'Council Monopoly' over the privately owned Cemeteries. Also many people considered KH/WL to be 'Church' Cemeteries, and prefer a more 'neutral' Council owned Cemetery.
If the children died very young - in childbirth, for example - they were often removed and buried by the Hospital, with no involvement by the parents - tis can still happen more recently with still born children.
I assume the family scraped together enough for the cheapest burial option as you had to do, and went on the tram, or walked. Possibly the child did not go from the house, but direct from the Undertaker, with the family meeting up at the Cemetery?
If it was a pauper burial, they may not even had been there at all.

Money was/and often still is tight, but you had to go without to do the necessary - not at all a bad practise.
I am unsure when the Council started to give a Burial allowance, which would have helped, and no doubt the Cemetery charges would have been tied in with that amount for a basic funeral?

Brian
 
Thanks for the reply Brian, I did'nt realise that cemeteries were competing with each other, I always thought that they were council run. You learn something every day.
 
Not directly to do with this case, but below is a part of a report of a court case from Birm Post 30.10.1895 where a funeral director had put the bodies of two stillborn children in a cellar as he could not be bothered to take them to the cemetery because of the cost (he would have received 2s 6d for dealing with them). They were mummified when found 12 months later. The charge from the cemetery for for burial of a stillborn was the 1s 6d.

part_of_court_report_re_stillborn_child_b_post_30_10_1895.jpg
 
The things some people do for a little profit and to save some work! Yet the Coroner said they were free of Criminal Charge - Not even obtaining money by deception?
 
I originally did not include all the report due to it being rather long, but, as it seems of interest also give the earlier parts (1 & 2) and last part (4) below:


B_Post_30_10_1895_1.jpg


B_Post_30_10_1895_2.jpg


B_Post_30_10_1895_4.jpg
 
If anyone wants the relevant page of the paper as a pdf, and thus the whole entry complete, then I have the pdf. pdfs do not seem to be able to be posted on the forum
 
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