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Park Street - Fazeley Street

Paula that book sounds facinating yes it is the same church St Martins in The Bull Ring. My 4x gt grandfather Martin Zipfell was buried there in 1835 and several of my Yates ancestors.
 
Hi Wendy,

Hope you are well, I have the book in a box upstairs as I have been having some plastering done I will get it out tomorrow and see if any of your ancestors are named in the book, it has family information as well if their spouse or children were with them, I remember reading some of the remains they could not identify but it is a fasinating book if I every get to the end of it.
 
I have the same book - it is called St Martin's uncovered. It has very detailed information on the archaeological excavations which took place in 2001. It also has historical information on St Martin's and how the church and churchyard changed over the years, including diagrams of where the graves were - only a small amount of names are mentioned (compared to the amount of burials that took place)
It also gives details of the skeletons and the diseases/health problems people were suffering with - There are pictures of skeletons which some people may not like.
There is also an example of two funerals at St Martin's and also a chapter about life in the parish.
I have found the book very interesting especially as I think one of the vaults and the funerals mentioned may be connected to my family (the Wardens, although I need to do further research on this).
I will have a look through it and see if I can answer some of the questions raised on this thread.
Polly :)
 
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There doesn't seem to be a Zipfell or Yates listed by name in the book, but, as Polly says, names that could be determined are few
mike
 
Carolann said:
My 2xGreatgrand father Richard Fowler was Buried at St Martins in 1845
How would i find out where he is now.
Thankyou
Click to expand...
It may be difficult to be sure especially if the Parish records do not make it clear if burials at St Martin's were in the churchyard or the overflow burial ground in Park Street. However this is what I have found about St Martin's - in my quest to locate my 4xgt grandfather's final resting place.

In 1960 the roads around the Bull Ring were altered, encroaching on the Churchyard - many monuments and remains were transferred to Witton Cemetery.
Following the 2001 excavations those remains which could be named, and those which formed part of an identified family group, were reburied in one of the vaults within the churchyard, accompanied by any personal items with which they had originally been buried. A service, led by the Rev'd Canon Adrian Newman, was held in May 2003
The majority of remains could not be identified and these have been buried in Quinton Cemetery (as with the named remains, any personal items were reburied with the person they originally accompanied).
Polly :)
 
had a reply from the council today

The area you refer to was originaly the burial ground for St Martins in the Bull Ring, and was a much larger area. The burial ground was exhumed in 1894 in order that the railway company could extend the line into the new station at Moor Street. A total of 1.151.coffins were removed from the site and re-interred at Witton Cemetery. The memorials were left on site and subsequently used to line the pathways and boundaries of the gardens.
In 1960 further work in the gardens revealed more remains, and therefore a further 9 boxes were removed and re- buried at Witton. As far as I am aware there are now no human remains left in the area, only the memorials from the original burial ground.
The costs of the original exhumation works and transport and reburial of those buried on this site would have been paid by the railway company responsible for the line into birmingham. There may be documentation regarding this held in the social studies section of Birmingham Central Library.
At that time the original Birmingham City Cemetery was also exhumed and re-interred at Witton to allow another railway line into the city centre, to what is now New Street station, and the signalling juntion alongside it, again all of the costs being met by the railway company.
Unfortunately I have no information regarding the redevelopment of that area, and suggest you contact the eastside development team directly to view plans of the areas covered by this.
I hope that this is of help to you.
Yours sincerely
Julia Myatt
Superintendent
Witton Cemetery.
 
Another reply :-

Thank you for your enquiry regarding Park Street Gardens. I can confirm that this garden originally formed part of the St. Martin's Church burial ground. Whilst the responsibility for the maintenance of the churchyard has passed to the Birmingham City Council, it is my understanding that the land ownership still rests with the Church of England.
I have made some enquiries regarding the future Eastside development and have been advised that the impact of this development upon the Park Street Gardens will be minimal and will mainly be revamping of existing features and pathways.
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any information as to why some memorials have been left whilst others have be removed. It is possible that the church hold historical records that would provide this information or be able to assist you further with this line of enquiry.
If I can be of any further assistance, then please let me know.
Yours sincerely
Bev Nash
 
Went down Bartholomew Street last week.

Got this section at the back of Park Street Gardens


Bartholomew Street in the snow - towards Park Street Gardens by ell brown, on Flickr

Think HS2 may go through here (not the BCU campus)


Bartholomew Street in the snow by ell brown, on Flickr

This section was off Fazeley Street near the railway (was a building demolished here). Think Bartholomew Street extends to the railway line.


Bartholomew Street in the snow - section off Fazeley Street by ell brown, on Flickr
 
The problem with the churchyard was that although it was Anglican and connected to St Martin's Church, the levee implemented to pay for it was to be paid by all parishioners, whatever their denomination. Many dissenters refused to pay the money owed, and the levee was abandoned from 1806, when the work was done, until the 1820s, when a fresh attempt was made to raise the funds. This caused some conflict with local radicals, especially George Edmonds and Joseph Russell, attending Vestry meetings with their supporters, and voting was repeatedly delayed. Although the radicals eventually lost the conflict and the levee was imposed, they were far more organised as a result and entered the subsequent church rates dispute with prior knowledge of how to conduct a campaign against the authorities and the established church.
 
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