• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Key Hill Cemetery

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
pollypops,

I have just had a look at this site & found a Thomas Dyas page 15 how can I find out more? as I think this may be my ancester
 
gensec

Many thanks, it is my Grt Grandfather x x2, there is also an MI, I have his death certificate, so how do I find the grave?
 
Hello Wendy I have visited Key Hill quite alot over the last three weeks, I have have found two of my relatives there. I and my family all grew up in the area of Hockley. I researching names of Brown, Barker, Muddiman..........All the best Ernie.
 
Hello Ernest if you can give me any dated for the names you are researching I will try and find where they are buried.
 
Hi Bigland,

Thomas Dyas is in R86 in Key Hill, if entering via Icknield St gate, straight ahead past island when you reach catacombs go to right. Probably on or near to path that goes towards metro/railway. (not path with waer memorial, but path before that). will pop down tomorrow and see if I can see it.

Chances are, in that area that memorial is either upright, or knocked flat - not many there were 'buried'
 
Hi tailsjt,
there are plenty of Nortons in Key Hill.
There appears to be a Sarah (1865) with a William Thomas (1877) together in O242. Are these yours?

If so, if you enter via Icknield St, go up to Island. O is on your left. Almost all of these are 'buried' - i.s broke into 4 or more and shoved in a hole 1/2 the size needed. What excavationa have taken place here have only found partial memorials. they were mostly Flat stones.

The BMSG&H site allows copies of the register for about £4 to members. Membership less tha £15 p.a.
I believe the cemeteries charge £16-19.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi Brian,

Many thanks much appreciated, apparently there are 2 in the Grave, I presume the other may be his wife Ellen who died in Dec 1881,
 
Here is the inscription for Thomas Dyas section R grave no 86

In loving memory of Thomas Dyas who passed away Oct 7th 1901 aged 70 years. Good old Dad he died as he lived peacefully.
 
Hi Bigland

sorry was a bit slow noticing your post. My dads great grandfather was thomas dyas. Pollypops kindly tidied the grave and sent me a picture and wendy help solve the mystery of who was buried in R86. Only Thomas is buried in this grave i haven't found out where ellen was buried. I visited this grave while looking round key hill cemetery on a guided tour by wendy and the others on one of there meet ups. I fell under the spell of this cemetery and was really pleased to meet many of the people on here who help so many of us.
Hopefully i have attached a picture i took on my visit there for you.
 
Gismo it's a lovely photo and the grave is in good condition. I hope one day it can be stood up on it's plinth.
 
I thought the name Thomas Dyas was familiar to me but I couldn't think why. Now I know why - I did tidy the grave up - the headstone is covering most of it but I did plant some bulbs and put some gravel on it to keep the weeds away - how silly of me not to realise the connection.

It is a lovely headstone - very big and in very good condition it is a shame it is lying down but many of them are.

Polly :)
 
Hello Wendy, Pollypops & Gizmo,

Thank you all for replying to my message & also for looking after my Grt Grandfathers grave, I must pay a visit for my self, in the meantime once again thankyou. Gizmo we have had contact before I sent you Thomas's photo, how are you?
 
Im fine thankyou, its been a while. with the help of the lovely people on here i am slowly adding bits about the dyas family to my dads tree. I cant believe its been 4 years since i began, i have a fresh bash at it every now and then. Thomas senior is the only grave i have found so far. I have yet to find his son (my dads grandfather) thomas dyas born 1854 and died 1925 in birmingham north or his wife mary. I think his brother Alfred and wife Fanny Dyas are also buried in key hill but i dont have a grave number for them or confirmed this yet. For such a big grave i don't know why only Thomas is buried there but it is a beautiful and peaceful spot and i was overwhelmed when i visited. my dad cherishes the photo you kindly sent me as you know he didnt know anything about his family other than his mum and dad but with the help of everyone this is slowly being put right. :) hugs
 
Here are the Dyas's buried at Key Hill

Alfred Dyas buried 1904 C section grave no 302.
Annie Maria Dyas buried 1933 R section grave no 1016, it states 3 in grave.
Arthur Edward Dyas Buried 1887 H 7 vault
Fanny Dyas buried 1908 Q section grave no 613
 
Wendy

Thank you for the info re Dyas Graves, they are all part of my Dyas lot, is there a map to show where these graves are, (there again I had a map sent from Lodge Hill with my Grt Grandmothers grave but I still couldn't find it without help!!! )
 
Here is a map you should be able to find the sections.

The vaults are along the semi circle by section G. Most graves have a number at the foot of the grave if not or they are missing you can usually count them along. Sadly there doesn't seem to be any memorials for these grave so they may be difficult to locate.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Many thanks for the picture of the chapel, makes you wonder what they were thinking of when it was demolished, so much for progress
 
I gather that there was no damp proofing in the chapel, I guess they thought that as it stood in a sand quarry it wouldn't need any!!
 
The Chapel was built in 1835 and damp proofing did not arrive until the late 1930's. If the chapel has not been clad in concrete in the early 1900's is would not have suffered so badly, concrete is the worst thing for holding moisture. However, having spoke to a man who was there when it was demolished, I think it was just an excuse to get rid of something old which was unused. The 1960's was full of clever ideas like that, get rid of the old and bring in the new. Shame really, it could be used in today's climate for many things, but on the other hand, it would be another place for druggies, etc to break in and hide. The only thing remaining of the chapel is the photographs and the sign from the office door.

Shortie
 
Damp proofing as we know it didn't come till much later, but I always understood that a layer of Staffordshire blue bricks was usually put in to stop the rise of damp. i may be wrong though, and would welcome any comments
Mike
 
Yes Mike, that is right, but it was only partly effective. Engineering blue bricks are supposed not to absorb moisture, but I guess after a time even they would become porous. I was looking at the base of the houses coming along Kingsbury Road today (I was not driving, I hasten to add). They also had dark (but not blue) bricks, however, more recently there has been a separate DPC put in - you can tell by the pointing. I don't claim to know it all, but I did spend many years working for a building surveyor, so I have picked up a few facts.

Shortie
 
It strange that the man who invented Blue Bricks ( engineering bricks ) is buried at Key Hill , and last year members of the Forum renovated his grave using bricks that Astoness had obtained from archaeologists working on Broad St. Max
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After not being able to attend the open days because of illness :( I finally managed to visit Key Hill last weekend to see my headstone that has been repaired and put back up. It was lovely to see it standing up back where it belongs. :)
When I arrived, Brian (who was not expecting me) had just finished putting some plants on both of my family graves. He had done this because he knew that I was very disappointed that I had not been able to get there with the plants that I had bought for them for the open days. Brian - you are so kind - thank you!

While we were there my hubby took some photos with his camera which has a sweep function - you can move the camera along while you take the photo so you get a wide angle view. Here is the first one he took -I don't think I have seen so much of the cemetery in one photo before.
 
Polly the photo's are wonderful as you say so much in one picture. I am so thrilled your grave memorials have been restored. I know exactly how exciting that feels well done all concerned.
 
those photos are lovely polly, thanks for posting them and great news about your family graves. also many thanks to brian for being so kind :)
 
I thought you would like the photos If you click on them 3 times you can scroll across the photo and see the graves quite well.

Hubby wants to go back and take some more when the light is better and also when the leaves are off the trees, as the cemetery will look different then - you will see more graves.

I thought if we could get the whole cemetery photographed in this way it would give people a good idea of where their relatives graves are - useful for people not able to get to the cemetery or for people who know the grave number and are going to visit. I can supply the photos - Brian and Wendy can say where the graves are!

Dick Empson was a great help to me in applying for permission to get 'my' headstone restored :) and I am so glad it has now been done - I am not sure how much longer it would have survived lying down.

Polly :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top