Burials at York Place Chapel, Swansea

[osullivanbere]

Hello

For a while I've been on a quest to find out more about my Swansea Baptist ancestor and this has now broadened out into a more general interest in Swansea Baptists, especially about the 1820's/30's, when York Place, Mount Pleasant and Bethesda were built. I’ve also learned not to confuse the dates of the chapels with the Causes!

I've spend many hours over the past two weeks in Swansea Library, reading the York Place Baptist magazines for 1900 -20; firstly trying to work out where Baptist Court, High Street was located but then become totally absorbed into the history of the doctrinal differences during nineteenth century Swansea. So I'd love to see inside of York Place Baptist church. Would this be possible? I’m going to be working away (i.e. not in Swansea) for a few weeks, but should be back in September.

Thanks

Liz

[bevbee]

Do you know whether there are any Middletons buried there please?

I'm looking for someone who died in Oxford Street in 1847 - where are they likely to be buried - any ideas? I know there were no Municipal cemeteries open.

Thanks,

B.

Doesn't matter, I found her in saint Mary's - thanks.

[cwmaman]

Hello Welshgirl,
Could I ask for some information on the Rayner burials?
The Rayners were builders who became related by marriage to the family of John Dickson the railway contractor who operated the Mumbles Railway.
Cwmaman

[Crwys]

Hi
Just read your message. The two William Rayners on your memorial stone were my Great Great & Great Great Great Grandfathers. I am currently trying to complete my Rayner tree. My partner is the Grandson of William Crwys Williams so we visit Gower usually twice a year & in May I did take photos of the outside of the chapel but didn't have the time to check out when I could gain entrance to see the plaque. I would like to get in touch with you when I  know when we will be coming next year as I would love to see the memorial. When Glamorgan cricket decide when the Swansea cricket festival is taking place, I will get back to you if I may.

Best Wishes
Crwys

[welshgirl]

Crwys

Have you seen a transcription of the memorial stone?  I can provide that for you if you like? 

[Crwys]

Hi

That would be very welcome. Thank you very much.

Crwys

[TaraGirl]

Hi
Thanks very much for doing this. I think I may have some relatives buried at York Place Chapel. My great-great-great John Burchell (1791-1845) was a blacksmith in Squires Bank in 1841. His father & mother William & Elizabeth Burchell (1760-1834 & 1764-1835) moved to Swansea from London in the 1780's and set up a coach building business in York Place, that their son William (1783-1840) and his descendants continued throughout the 19th century. It was very prosperous I think, judging by the wills of William Burchell Jr's sons & daughters, most of whom remained single and lived & worked together at York Place. Their names were Joseph Willaim (1815-90), William (1820-88), Thomas (1825-84), Mary (1826-88) & Elizabeth (1816-83). There was also James (1819-94) who lived in Russell St and Theresa who I think may have died in London. And there are a no. of other Burchells from these lines that i have no idea what happened to them.
I myself have strong links with Swansea, having lived there for 4 yrs recently - I walked the same streets as all these dead relatives and had no idea at all that any of them existed till now or even that I had ancestors form Swansea! So I'd dearly love to revisit any of their graves & their homes that still exist there.
Thanks again very much for your help with this

[moshi]

Hi
My dad is Graham Burchell and his Great Great Grandfather was John Burchell 1790-1845 Swansea.
Would love to swap information about the Burchells in Swansea at this time.  I can only go back another generation to William and Elizabeth Burchell and it stops there. Johns had a son Charles Donor Burchell (1829-1886) which settled in Bristol and that is where we are now.
 
Look forward to hearing from you

Interested in any graves found.  Are you descended from Thomas Burchell as I have no information on him and would love to up date our tree.  Could email you ours to compare.

[TaraGirl]

Hi Moshi
Great to hear from u. So pleased to find another descendant of John Burchell and would be great to check out your tree. I'm at karenscottsn@yahoo.co.uk.  Yes I am descended from Thomas Burchell, he was my great-great grandfather, a mariner who married Jane Seccombe from Penzance then ended up in Liverpool. Have found out quite a bit about the Swansea Burchells and also the Herbert's (John Burchell's wife was Mary Herbert). Too much to go into detail about here & have not added it all to my family tree (on Ancestry.com) yet. But can send u a link to the tree if u like so u can take a look at what I have so far.

William & Elizabeth Burchell, John Burchell's parents, came from London in the 1780's and set up a coach wheelwright business in Swansea at the start of its Copperopolis era. William was born in 1760 in Holborn and his parents were Edward & Ann Burchell. Have had great difficulty finding out the details of Edward's birth - pretty sure it wasn't Rye, Sussex just incase u end up following that red herring too at some point. But also pretty sure he was born in London to a family involved in the coach building trade. Not sure who Ann was sorry. William's wife was Elizabeth Taylor, and they married in St George, Bloomsbury in 1782. No.of possibilities for her birth, the likeliest being in 1764 at Holborn to John & Ann Taylor.

Who are u descended from? Is it from Charles Doner Burchell? Have been in touch with another descendant of his who now lives in Australia. The only other sibling of Charles & Thomas that I have any idea about at all is Henry Burchell who married Sarah Webb, lived in Llansamlet & then Aberdare, and had a no. of children. And also William - have found quite a few convictions for various things (bank robbery was one) that seem to fit him but not totally sure it was him.

Our great-great (great) grandfather John was a blacksmith in Squire's Bank, off Strand in central Swansea - underneath the present day BT tower and very near the old dock area (that now a retail park) and a no. of foundries. Also his brother William lived nearby on the actual dock side, as I'm sure their parents did before them, and like them was in the coachbuilding trade. It was William's sons that ended up with the lucrative coachmaking factory on York St. Another brother of John's, Richard also built up a very successful coachbuilding business in Pembroke. Lastly I think now that it's St Mary's, Swansea where we'll find any graves/records - if they weren't destroyed in the WW2 bombing that razed most of Swansea city centre that is. Next time I visit I'll try to check it out, along with some other stuff.

If u want to email me I can send u the link to my Ancestry tree and can keep in touch with any other info I get hold of. Thanks again for getting in touch.
All the best, karen