George drowned trying to save his friend

St Peter, Broome, Worcestershire

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We don't see many brick-built churches in what was

clearly a long established religious site.

 

 

 

George Herbert Grosvenor drowned in Cornwall

while trying to save his friend.

 

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Another disrespectful graveyard!

 

St Edith, Pulverbatch, Shropshire

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The Church of St Edith is set in an elevated circular graveyard. This would lend support to suggestions that its origins stretch back to medieval or even earlier times as it could have been the site of a hill fort.

 

 

 

We were both very unimpressed by the pile of former gravestones just

 dumped at the edge of the site.

 

 

 

Even a war grave doesn't seem to have been looked after particularly well.

 

 

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A 12 year old boy blown up by a seaside mine in 1944

 

St Winwaloe (Church of the Storms), Gunwalloe, Cornwall

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A 12th century church in a wild place of peace and beauty -

at least it was when we were there!

 

 

Ronald Munting was killed in 1944 when an unmarked mine exploded. He was aged 12.

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The year of death has been changed from 1822 to 1824.

 

St Andrew, Church Aston, Shropshire

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This was a large well maintained site. It was a Bank Holiday and there were a number of other visitors paying their respects to people buried here.

 

 

This memorial has many interesting features. One entire section has been removed, the year of death has been changed from 1822 to 1824 and the age at death has been changed from 64 to 66 years.

 

 

 

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Robert Jerman died at school in 1922 - aged 9!

 

St Michael and All Angels, Kerry, Powys, Wales

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Most of the site was well mown but one part, around a war grave, was a wilderness.

 

 

 

 

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In less than 2 weeks Margaret Hughes lost quads, twins and her husband.

 

Ysbyty Cwnfyn Church , Ceredigion, Wales

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A small church in the middle of nowhere rewarded us with the best find

we have made in all our years as grave hunters!

 

 

Margaret, Elizabeth, Catherine and Isaac were quads born on February 17th 1856. They lived for 4, 4, 5 and 11 days respectively. In the pre fertility treatment era quads were exceptionally rare - approximately 1 in 750,000 live births.

 

 

 

 

 

Hugh, the older brother of the quads, died on March 1st 1856 aged 5. Isaac, the father of the quads, died on March 6th 1856 and Hannah, the older sister of the quads, died on March 10th 1856 aged 5. I suspect that Hugh and Hannah were twins?

In less than 2 weeks Margaret Hughes had lost six children and her husband.

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Nine miners,including four under 16 years old, killed in an accident.

 

St Michael, Madeley, Shropshire

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English weather is very unpredictable. When we arrived at the church we found ourselves in the middle of a thunderstorm - complete with heavy rain and hail. Within minutes the clouds had rolled away and it became a pleasantly sunny afternoon.

 

 

The Nine Men of Madeley were miners who died while ascending the Madeley Wood Company's Brick Kiln, known locally as the Lane Pit, on the 27th September 1864. The chain attached to the winding apparatus gave way as the nine were returning from the end of their shift. Of the nine, four were boys under 16.

 

 

 

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Grace Stacey died in childbirth - William Cory had the year he died corrected!

 

St Gennys, St Gennys, Cornwall

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Few churches in our survey can rival St Gennys for its setting. Tucked under the lee of the cliff both the church and the sloping graveyard have superb views over Bude Bay and up the Bristol Channel.

 

 

Grace Stacey seems to have died in childbirth - "She gave life but gave it at the expence (sic) of her own".

 

It looks as if the mason got the year that William Cory died wrong and so had to make a correction.

 

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Video game characters on a grave.

 

Astwood Cemetery, Worcester, Worcestershire

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A busy crematorium with a curiously small car park and the least active

"working" gardeners we have ever seen.

 

 

I think these are comic book characters. What a lovely and

unusual way  to remember your teenaged son.

 

 

 

Claire and I greatly appreciate the hard work of the various voluntary groups

that work so hard to maintain the quality of cemeteries and graveyards.

 

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