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Warstone Lane

pamela floyd

master brummie
irene, our couson brian, and my self, have been to warston lane today to visit our sister reenes grave, which we only found last year with the help of key hill brian, and others on the forum,reene only lived for 8 hrs, which again we didnt know about , we only found out about our sister when i started to do our family tree,we know 0 742 is a public grave, were wondering if the grave would have a brick out line so we would know for sure were the grave is, and if we would be able to find it, also if there any photos of what it looked like in 1951, thank you to every one who helped us get this far,x
 
Re: warston lane,

Hello Pamela,
I don't think the Public graves in Warstone were outlined with bricks. Some of my relatives are in various Public graves around the cemetery, and it has been difficult to decide where, even with the maps. Ones in Section E and F are grassed over. Sometimes you can see where the ground has sunk, and then count this way. My Gt Gt Grandfather is nearby in O 841.
I'm glad you have been able to visit, I'm hoping to go soon when my Husband feels better!!
rosie.
 
Re: warston lane,

hello rosie, thank you for your reply,we was hopeing to sort out the ground were reene is at rest, and also the others with her, we will do our best,we didnt know about rene till last year, every one on the forum have been fantastic,especialy key hill brian who went to warston lane at night to put a stake at 0 742 so we were sure we had the right plot,if only we had know years ago, hope your husband is soon well ,pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi Pam

Many of the Public Graves around the outside of the cemetery, along the walls from Warstone Lane, down the slope and behind the mint are Brick lined.
Due to over 50 years of non mtce - there is quite a depth of leaf compost, etc covering the, but in many places, the brick outlines are clearly visible. Similar to some of the Publics in Key Hill..

Considering the depth some are, It would have needed some brickwork or substantial shoring of timber whilst excavating and filling in. Especially those behind the mint which would receive some of the rainfall runoff.

Last year we had a chap visit who had worked at the Mint in the 1950's. The Mint basement had been extended and cut under the Cemetery, below the Publics, which one nmight dropped in on them, as they had shored the ceiling up with timber, which had given way under the strain - They ran all the way to the Pub, after the the dust had cleared and they saw what the debris contained!

Many of the graves immediately adjacent to the Mint wall have the brick outlines visible - In time, raking and probing, and barrowing the surplus top cover up to the other sunken graves in the cemetery, should reveal the outlines more clearly, allowing us to show definitive grave spaces.

Brian
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the information about the brickwork, and for all your hard work.
It's hard to imagine how deep the public graves are, my Cousin was amazed when we brought her to visit Warstone last year and I explained.
I bet those people had a shock when it fell in!
(Making progress on the maps by the way)

rosie.
 
Re: warston lane,

hello brian, i have been looking at the maps of warston lane,im a bit worried we have the wrong spot, ..... do you think it could be on the corner ???/ sorry to be a pain according to the map 0742 is 4 from the burton grave we have never seen the burton grave, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Not many headstone survived being buried by the Council in the 1960's.

I am tied up most of this week.

There are grave section plans in the Pen Museum library avauilable for studying/copying, along with a print out of all WL Burials.

I am sure we were on the right spot. You need to double check the graves in line but uphill - note names, than check the index and grave plans - It is what i did, but can be rechecked - better safe than sorry!

Unsure which grave is the Burton grave - have to look him up and see which Burtons are in that area.

brian
 
Re: warston lane,

003.jpg
Hello Pamela,

Look for this one, it's O 1048 Eliza Pressdee. (My Husband's Grandmother). I'm sure Brian's right!! I hope the bulbs have come up by now though.

rosie.
 
Re: warston lane,

Look for this one, it's O 1048 Eliza Pressdee. (My Husband's Grandmother) rosie.

Forgive me for going off thread but I noticed the Pressdee name...I have a Joseph Presdee in my tree, born Ledbury... there don't appear to have been many of them ...wonder if they were related ?
 
Re: warston lane,

WL_Sections_O___P.jpg

Warstone lane - Sections O & P Grave layout (part). Wall of Mint is at the top.


The grave shown as 'Burtons' is the last resting place of Albert J Burton 1904, and is an unmarked Public grave containing 274 persons from 1903/4, 1920 & 1929.
At some stage someone has been loooking for the grave and permanently marked the Office Copy from which current copies are obtained.

O 1048 can be seen on the plan - it's just a question of finding it on the ground and counting along and down.
Working from known, marked graves such as this is the only way we have to determine which unmarked public is which at present.

Brian

ps Lindlyloo - Fingers crossed - it's an unusual name!
 
Re: warston lane,

thank you brian, do you think we have the right place, and it wont be on the corner were the grass patch is near to the path, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Colour_map.jpgCrude plan showing Section layout - Section L adjoind O.

Hi pam,

Obviously needs double checking to put minds at rest, but Section L comes up to the grass area on the corner.
Busy week at present, but will tyry and pop into WL and count up from Rosies Pressdee to ascertain, Friday'ish
Brian
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi lindyloo,
Sorry but they are a different branch! We are still looking though......
rosie.

Sorry we're off topic.
 
Re: warston lane,

Oh Well Rosie,

You'll just have to 'adopt' Lindyloos's Joseph - It will fill in a gap somewhere on a branch!!!!
 
Re: warston lane,

hello rosie, went to warston lane today, went to elizas resting place, [ your bulbs have not come up yet,] we now think we have put are sisters things in the right place, hopeing brian will check it out for us again he as been fantastic, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Had a change of plans today, so managed a flying vist to KH & WL.
Here some pics from behind the Mint and 1 behind Pemberton St showing the partially visible brick outlines of the Puiblics behind the Mint, and the 'Dips & Bumps' alongside the uphill path showing where the Publics have sunk, and the earthen path hasn't - You really need to watch old Time Team's to follow the 'Ridge & Furrow' patterns to see where graves are. Former self seeded trees grow out of the actual graves where the soil was disturbed - not o beside them in undisturbed soil (unless actually planted) - these also are good indicators of graves.

SAM_4020.JPG SAM_4019.JPG SAM_4017~0.JPG SAM_4016.JPG SAM_4015.JPG
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi Pam,

Rechecked WL briefly this morning. The Grave Marker was spot on - marking the front edge of the grave.
There is an earthen path (not shown on Grave Section Plan - but clearlyb marked on old cemetery plans) between the Private & Public graves.

The original marker was at the front edge of the grave. The grave an runs into the trees towards the Mint wall. The Trees are actually inside the grave area.
If you look closely you can see where the ground dips and rises. the brick edgings below ground do not sink and show up as solid areas of soil.
The grave areas do sink over time and form shallow dips. Also the trees grow out of the disturbed grave soil.

I'm afrain you have moved the marker and have now straddled the path.

Brian
 
Re: warston lane,

ow brian were so so sorry thought we was doing right, we will go back tomorrow and move the bricks and flaten the soil, when are you at warston lane again, we will put it right feel terrible, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

we will go to warston lane, early in the morning, hope to have it back right by the time you get there, we will just tidy it up, would you mind checking were back in the right place hope you dont think im being cheeky,thanks for all your help ,pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi Pam

The line is right, just needs to start 6 inches back. The last 2 graves in O are singles, the rest of line has two rows of graves.
Yours may be a double sized one. It's just a question of trying to see where the ground dips and where it doesn't!

Brian
 
Re: warston lane,

Hello Brian,
thank you , you have been really good, my sister and i feel terrible at the moment,
cant wait for tomorrow, sorry once again, ,

Pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Pam - As Brian has said it was an understandable mistake to make so there is no need for you and your sister to feel terrible. It is lovely that you and your sister have taken an interest in where your relative is buried. The cemetery would be much easier to look after if more people took so much interest. Please don't spend the night worrying about it I am sure Brian would not want you to do that.
 
Re: warston lane,

Had a nice bonfire this morning in WL - 3 more builders bags of ivy from the catacombs, 3 boxes of wood, and some old stuff ioff the top of the old compost heap!
Bumped into the lovely Floyd girls and Brian. Renee's marker is back spot on, and the area tidied up a little.
There is still more work to do behind the Mint, raking away 50 + years of leaf mould and debris to show the perimeters of the Public Graves.

Many more self seed trees need lightly pruning to allow further access to peoples graves. A slow process, but if you are visiting, you can help by taking branches and twigs etc. from behind the Mint up to the Compost corner for future burning.
If we can get the leaves and debris raked and bagged, they also can be burnt gradually, and we can see the wjust where all the graves actually are!

It was nice to see members doing a bit of tidying - we will soon have the place looking more like a cemetery than a forgotten piece os wasteland.

Brian
Brian
 
Re: warston lane,

Hi Brian, it was nice seeing you at warston lane today, you do work hard, irene and my self feel better now things are put right, wont make that mistake again, thanks again for all your help, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

thank you for your message pollypops, we was worried about it, we wont make that mistake again, we seen brian at warston lane to day, such a nice man , and so helpfull, pam x
 
Re: warston lane,

Glad to hear that you have been able to get to the cemetery today and put things right - you can stop worrying now :adoration:
Brian is a lovely man and he has helped me many times on my searches for graves. The plans are confusing but as Brian spends half of his life in the cemeteries he knows how to work out where the graves are. I dread to think what the cemeteries would look like without all the hard work he does on a daily basis.
 
Re: warston lane,

My sister Pam cousin Brian and i have put things right with our sister Renee's resting place.We did a bit of tidying up 2day hoping 2 go again next week and do a little bit more.We bumped into Brian who was working so hard what a wonderful man.Thank's to Pollypops for easing our minds last night.We think you all do a wonderful job.Irene
 
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