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Witton Cemetery & Moor Lane

  • Thread starter Thread starter 500miles
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500miles

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My great great grandfather, David Richards, appears in the 1881 census as living in Moor Lane at 'Entrance View'. The next property on the list is called 'Cemetery View'. I contacted the cemetery thinking that these dwellings could be the two buildings either side of the entrance in Moor Lane but they say they have never been known by these names.
In addition, in the 1891 census David Richards occupation is given as 'Sexton (Cemetery)' However, the office at the cemetery say they have never employed sextons. One of the older employees however remembers that there used to be a church in Moor Lane on the other side of the road and they thought perhaps he was connected with that rather than the cemetery. Can anyone remember this or know anything about it?
 
500 miles that church in Moor lane,thats a new one on me:)Mossy
 
500miles,
Yes, there was the Witton Baptist Chapel in Moor Lane, mentioned in early directories such as 1921, but not in 1939, when I was getting old enough to tour around on my scooter. I vaguely remember noticing a very small chapel-like building in Moor Lane, which I imagine by then would have been used as a store of some kind, perhaps for the farm up the road. I would guess that the congregation was too small and poor to employ any full time official - even a minister.
The attached map is taken from the Second Edition OS nof 1904, surveyed in 1886 and revised in 1902.
I walked past there last year, but don't recall noticing anything like that still there.
So far as the word 'Sexton' is concerned, I shouldn't be put off by the cemetery people saying they never employed sextons. The compilers of directroies and even census enumerators have been quite slack in their use of word, and in there eyes, a church official was very similar to a cemetery official.
I would put my money on your ggf being a cemetery employee.
Peter
 
A bit of info here about the Witton Baptist Chapel. There is a blurb about the Baptist church development in the Birmingham area in British History Online and this sentence is included.
" By 1822 the Baptists had begun a Sunday school at Moor Lane, Witton, nearby, which later developed into a cottage meeting"

My Mother attended Witton Baptist Chapel Sunday School and I have book prizes that were given to her from there. My Mother lived in Brantley Road,
Witton and used to walk along by the Tame River over the Canal Bridge and turn left into Moor Lane to go to the Sunday School. I am not sure which year this would have been but more than likely just before the First World War. It was very much in the country in those days. The fact that the word cottage is mentioned it could well have been that those cottages referred to in 500miles' post were the ones referred to and the Sexton could have been attached to that Chapel.
 
is it my imagination or was there another church opposite the one there at the other end of the wide road in the cemertary
 
Hi Brian: Here is some information from Wikipedia re Witton Cemetery:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witton_Cemetery

Seems like there were three chapels at one time. I remember two. They were located on the main path within several hundred yards of each other.
One of them was demolished in the l970's or 80's I think. Someone else may know the exact date.
 
Thanks to everyone for their replies. It's very interesting. I know that David Richards is buried in the cemetery as I have the plot number but haven't had time to go and have a look yet. The Friends of Witton Cemetery have a small website with some history at:

https://www.wittonfriends.org.uk/
 
jennyann said:
Hi Brian: Here is some information from Wikipedia re Witton Cemetery:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witton_Cemetery

Seems like there were three chapels at one time. I remember two. They were located on the main path within several hundred yards of each other.
One of them was demolished in the l970's or 80's I think. Someone else may know the exact date.
Click to expand...

thank you for info it was that my mother is intered in witto and i was sure the service was not in the remaining church it has just put my mind at rest
brian
 
brian baker said:
is it my imagination or was there another church opposite the one there at the other end of the wide road in the cemertary
Click to expand...

Yes Brian and I have photo of each. I'll post them in the next couple of days when I can get them out of the Album they are stuck in:(

Colour photos taken in the 1970s
 
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