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Warstone Lane Cemetery

I recently found out that two of my Gt Aunts were buried in Warstone Lane cemetery in 1856, both died youg and it seems at the same time, aged around 8 and 5.

I don't think I have ever visited a cemetery and have no idea of the etiquete or whether or not you can just walk in and look around (to some this must sound naive and silly) but it's not something I have experienced.

I have no idea how I would find the right grave (even if one existed). It's something I would like to do as the pictures I have seen of Warstone Lane, and having driven past over the years, have always intrigued me.

Any advice would be appreciated
 
Dashers, you can just wander round the cemetery - you will find it's quite tranquil.

If you post details of your aunts (dates and names) on the forum, we should be able to help you find the spot.

I would recommend that you start a new thread in this section of the forum and call it something obvious like "Looking for the graves of....." It makes it easier for others to spot (you'll be surprised how many people have had their problems solved this way) and the details won't get tangled up with genral information on the cemetery/progress on clear-ups etc.
 
Hi Dashers.

Both Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemeteries are owned and managed by Birmingham City council, Bereavement Services, through the staff based at Handsworth cemetery, Oxhill Rd, B21 8JT, 0121 554 0096 or email [email protected]

However, the Friends do have a fvery few semi active volunteers who ghelp people locate graves, and keep an eye on the place, and try to keep down litter, weeds, ivy, vandalism, etc ans well as trying to improve the place for the benefit of all.

Since the Burial Register held at handsworth are cumbersome and are too unique to be used by all and sundry on a daily basis, the Birmingham & midland Society for genealogy & heraldry have photographed, transcribed and computerised them. Copies are held in the bmsgh room in the Birmingham & midland Institute, margaret St, Handsworth cemetery, The Info kiosk in Vyse St, and in the Friends Library at the Pen Museum, Frederick St.

Look ups are also done by Wendy & myself on the Forum. The index contains Surname, Christian name or Initials, year of burial, Grave number (usually) & Sequential Burial register Number.

If you give names and years we will see what it says.

The cemeteries, like all Council Cemeteries have official opening/closing times - usually 8-4'ish, even when there are no gates or fences such as at Warstone Lane. You can in fact stroll around 24/7 - but obviously are not covered outside official hours for accidents wlike tripping over fallen headstones, etc.!

Car parking, is of course available and free to all visitors. You are welcome to stroll/drive around whenever.

Many graves do not have headstones especially many Public graves. Others have had the headstone 'buried' so that motor mowers can have a free run.

many are tricky to find, especialy where the grave plans do not clearly show earth footpaths. Also Sections do not line up with tarmac paths - you need to obtain local knowledge. Mary in The Info Centre, Colin in the Pen Museum or Brian/Wendy on the Forum, although not experts, do have a fairly good practical knowledge.

Post your Great Aunts details and we will see if we can find them - even if it is a bricked up doorway in the catacombs (my Aunt), or a disturbed patch of dirt with self seeded trees growing out of it! (Floyd)
 
Just heard today from Peter Vickers, the chap undertaking the Conservation Management Plan in Key Hill that a bid had been successful for £1 Million !!!!!!
It will help rebuild the fallen Warstone Lane Catacomb Wall - Bereavement Services have had this on the list for some years but each year their limited budget gets used for higher priority works - Witton Chapel Spire, Sutton Crematorium Roof (after vandals stole the copper coverings), and Handsworth Cemetery Chapel Spire - All very important, safety related and more importantly Affects Funerals!)
It will also fund the replacement of the missing gateposts, gates & fence along the Vyse St frontage of Warstone Lane Cemetery - thus improving the Jewellery Quarter as well as the cemetery.

Hopefully further bids in the future will continue with the Pitsford St & Icknield St frontages.​
 
This is brilliant news, Brian. It will be lovely to see the catacomb wall repaired and to get the Vyse St entrance the attention it deserves.
 
Just had a thought - wouldn't it be wonderful if the rails went up above the catacombs - maybe too much though it would help with H&S I would have thought.
 
Good News Brian!
Are there any pictures of the original gates? I presume they would be much the same as Key Hill only not so high.
rosie.
 
Re: Key Hill Cemetery

Hello can anyone tell me if there is a map of Hockley cemetery to make it easier to find graves
im looking for the grave of Jane Barton nee Moulton born 16/01/1821 died aug 1873
i would like to try and find it next time im in Birmingham .
many thanks Dave


[Leslam moved this post from the Key Hill thread]
 
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I have found the entry for Jane Barton in the findmypast burial entries

Jane Barton is buried (along with four others) in Warstone Lane. Date just given as 1873 on the entry.

The register number for the burial is 16233.
The entry include the letters MI, which indicate that there would originally have been a gravestone - though it may well have been laid flat and buried in tne 1960s. Many were.

The Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry can supply an image of the relevant entry from the Interment Register page by email at [email protected]
According to the website, "you will receive a copy of the original entry in the Interment Register giving the name of the deceased, address, age, cause of death (if shown), informant (e.g., parent or other relative) and officiating minister. One entry will cost GBP 4.00 sterling and subsequent entries from the same grave 50p per entry. If 'MI' is displayed then a copy of the Monumental Inscription can be supplied for 50p provided that at least one copy of an original entry is being purchased"

Keyhill Brian or Wendy may be able to help further. You should find a map of the cemetery on this thread or if not, try searching the forum for "Warstone Lane". Once you have a grave section and number, someone will be able to help you with a detailed map.
 
I found Jane 1873 Grave number 1754 section P. There is also a Christopher Barton in P 1745 so unsure if it's a relative or miss transcription.
 
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Also in the grave are
BARTON William 1893 P 1745 45825 5 MI
FABERY Charles H. 1886 P 1745 36811 5 MI
SMITH Amelia 1919 P 1745 84145 5

As Leslam has put it - BMSGH will supply details of MI (Ones marked MI have usually been buried in the 1960's)

Brian
 
Ok, found the map - and have marked the plot on there.
I'll find the full map and rotate it to match this, as from memory it's the other way round...
warstone_lane_cemetery_aligned.jpg Warstone_Lane_P_1745.jpg

Added the rotated general map so that they are aligned and marked the rough position.
 

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  • Warstone_Lane_P_1754.jpg
    Warstone_Lane_P_1754.jpg
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WL_P_1745_Barton_Grave_viewed_toward_Pitsford_St_.JPG WL P1745 Looking towards Pitsford St.
WL_P_1745_Barton_Grave_Viewed_from_Pitsford_St_side.JPG and looking from Pitsford St side.

WL_P_1745_Barton_Grave_viewed_from_path.JPGLooking from path downhill towards the former Mint buildings
WL_P_1745_Barton_Grave_looking_uphill_towards_path.JPG Looking uphill towards path
 
Oh well done Brian!! Great photos to help locate it as well. Was a nice day for grave-searching :)
 
WL_P_1745_Barton_-_close_up.JPG Close up of site of WL P 1745 Barton Family grave.
WL_P_1767_to_left_of_P_1745.JPG WL_P_1767_Westwood_-_next_to_P_1745_Barton.JPG Close up WL P 1767 - to the left of P 1745 as you look downhill


Hope these are of use.

Brian
 
Searched and found P 1754 - took pics - got home, found it was a mist type - should be P 1745!
had to nip back out and do it all again!
Sawed off a load of branches from the self seeded trees growing out of the O + P Section Publics whilst I was there the 2nd time to make the journey even more worthwhile!!!!
 
You do work hard Brian i don't think we will beable to make it to WL this week but hopefully we will go next week and do a bit more tidying up.It was lovely seeing everyone on saturday at the St George's Day Meet Up they are such a lovely crowd.Irene
 
Thank you so much for your reply and posting the photos on here , im so grateful for all the help and time that people have put into this thread
many thanks . yrs DAVE
 
Hello

I wonder if someone would be able to tell me any more details that might be held about the following burial please?

William E Wilkes buried 1914 Warstone Lane Register No. 80088 - No. in grave 8
It has MI against memorial description.

The death was registered JAS 1914 aged 20

Thanks for any assistance.

Suzanne
 
Hi Suzanne
Here is the Index entry
WILKES William E 1914 B 1721 80088 8 MI
others are
WILKES Elizabeth Frances 1954 B 1721 101600 8 MI
WILKES Ernest 1933 B 1721 93170 8 MI
BAGNALL Thomas 1864 B 1721 12232 8
LAWRENCE Reginald James 1969 B 1721 105838 8 Cremated remains
WEAVER Emily R 1915 B 1721 80812 8 MI
WEAVER John Thomas 1959 B 1721 105397 8 MI
WEAVER William 1962 B 1721 105708 8 MI


Where MI appears - There is/was a memorial which was recorded and buried by the City Council in the 1960's.
The transcriptions were recorded (in summary) and are kept at Handsworth Cemetery, however it is easier and quicker (and often cheaper) to ontain a copy by emailing warstonelanecemetery@bmsgh where a charge of only £4 applies. If you a BMSGH Member, you can see it for free in their room in the BMI in Margaret St.

The grave is on the Warstone Lane frontage, about 7 rows in from the wall of Warstone Parade East, and 7 rows in from Warstone Lane.

Brian
 
Hi Brian

Thanks so much for looking for me:)

I was actually going to ask for 2 more if the search had been successful for William E Wilkes but you have also given me the 2 I was going to ask about, Elizabeth Frances and Ernest Wilkes so thanks once more.

I'm due to go to Handsworth soon so I may well call in and ask to see if there is a memorial transcription.

Suzanne
 
Hi Suzanne,
You cannot really look up graves on the bmsgh index that we have - but after months of retyping them the other year into a word document for our printed copy - it is not so bad now!
Best of luck at Handsworth - You may well have to remind the staff - the transcriptions are called "Pikes Papers", are in the back room, on the top shelf in folders - you need the typed version, not the written long hand walletts).
They are not in any particular order - so you have to plough through them, and the folder is so packed, you cannot easily photocopy the page - photograghing is best. Under no circumstances - undo the folder - last time it happened it took us a very long time time to cram it all back in!

The grave is a family grave - Bagnall being first with Wilkes & Weavers and a Lawrence along the way - hopefully you can pull a family tree out of that with children and marriages along the way.
happy researching!

Brian
 
Thanks for the heads up Brian. I think I may actually email Warstone Lane that you suggested as I wouldn't want to mess up any docs at Handsworth:)

Ernest Wilkes is my 1st cousin 3 x removed, and his wife and son are in together it seems. I'm off to find out the connection with the other names now. Thanks so much.

Suzanne
 
If you are visiting handsworth, Suzanne - it's worth asking.
The staff have changed sine a year ago. Kate doesn't really know the place, nor Micheal who covers there.
When i was there Rose was training up someone to allow her to take redundancy.
The folder they are in have a screw fitting but are so full - it's a job to do them back up.
If you are a member of BMSGH though - it's easier to pop in if you can Mon-Fri to margaret St - only cost than is for the printout!

Let us know the connection once you've found them!

Brian
 
I am looking to find any information on Charles Harry Phillips who died in 1911, he was buried in Warstone Lane Cemetry, he was married to Rosina Nee Hands, if anyone can find anything on these it would be appreciated.
 
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