RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => East Lothian (Haddingtonshire) => Topic started by: gjs1949 on Sunday 07 August 16 17:20 BST (UK)
-
My grandfather died in 1958 and as far as I know was buried in a Dunbar Cemetery.
In Loving Memory of
Joseph Smith
beloved husband of
Grace Hutton
Died 10th March 1958
I have a photograph (taken in the early 90s by an uncle from Australia) of the headstone but without knowing the cemetery I am unable to visit myself.
Does anyone know of a site where I can search for the cemetery?
(I have tried Scottish Burials and Billion graves and come up with nothing)
Thanks & Regards
-
Hi there and welcome to RootsChat :)
I can't see a death for Joseph on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk in the East Lothian area in 1958. Do you know where he was living at that time? Any idea on his age at death?
Another site is worth checking is www.deceasedonline.com .... but I couldn't see anything for him there.
You have very specific details on his death which always help. You could contact the local council www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/640/birth_death_marriage_and_civil_partnerships/193/burial_services and ask for advice on how to find his burial location and lair details.
Monica
-
Thanks for the response,
I have a copy of the death register entry.
He died at Eastern General Hospital Leith, and usual residence was given as Beltonford Maltings.
Since my posting I have been in touch with my sister and she seems to recall that our mother saying it was a true blue (CoS) cemetery, using google maps I presume it would be the Queens Road cemetery.
I went to the parish church website and nothing is given with regard to the lairs and their locations within the cemetery.
I tried the East Lothian Council site but it only lists the cemeteries in East Lothian, there is no search engine to provide plot/lair references.
I'm awaiting a response to the message I sent to the East Lothian Council, and I will try the deceasedonline.com site.
Once again Thanks
George J. Smith
-
I just received the following from the East Lothian Council offices at Haddington.
<<Thank you for your enquiry. From the details you have provided we will hopefully be able to find the information you require.
However, we charge a search fee for this service and the current fee is £20.95 per half hour which must be paid in advance. We would normally recommend that individuals pay for an initial half hour search and if in that time we have been unable to find the required information we would contact you and discuss whether you wish us to extend the time allocated.
If you would like us to conduct the search for you we can take payment over the phone by debit or credit card or you can send us a cheque made payable to East Lothian Council.
Regards.>>
Scandalous prices, I did a search on the Nottingham City Council site and got the cemetery, section and plot location all for free.
Ah well back to the drawing board as they say.
-
There are two cemeteries in Dunbar - one surrounding Dunbar Parish Church and the other about a mile south east of the town called Deer Park Cemetery. Not sure if you can search on that but worth a try. It's more likely to be Deer Park unless the family had a big plot at the Parish Church. Gillian
-
Thanks for the information about the cemeteries, I doubt the family had a plot in the parish church cemetery as my grandfather was Rothes and moved to the Beltonford Maltings in the late 1930's or early 1940's.
Having the name of the Deer Park cemetery helps in that I will be able to do a search on-line to see if anything is available.
Thanks and Regards
George J. Smith
-
George there is a Facebook page called Lost Dunbar. If you posted your photo of the headstone on there, I'm sure some of the locals would be able to tell you if it's Deer Park. I'm in Australia and can't honestly say I'd recognise the cemetery from the photo. I'm from Dunbar originally but it's a long time since I was at the cemetery. Good luck. Gillian
-
Gillian, thanks for the tip, however I don't subscribe to Facebook (or any of the other social sites) I'm a bit paranoid about how much information such sites ask for.
I shall check the internet to see if Lost Dunbar has a regular web page, if not I will probably ask my daughter to check as she has a Facebook account.
Who knows it might shed some light on Beltonford Maltings, which seems to be conspicuous in its absence on the Haddington/East Lothian sites I have looked at.
Once again thanks for the tip
George
-
Hi ,
Beltonford Maltings are just before Dunbar on the A1087 at West Barns .
Recently a lot of councils have started charging for searches for burials . Edinburgh District Council is the same .
Szilard
-
Hi Suzilad,
I know where they were, next door to the stables, I had a few memorable holidays staying there in the early 1950's with my grandfather and stepgrandmother. There is however a dearth of information and practically no photographs of the houses that were on the Edinburgh road just inside the gates and in front of the malt buildings in that time period. There are a few earlier photographs from the rear of the site, but unfortunately none from the front, or in the period when my grandfather lived there and worked in the Maltings.
Thanks for your advice anyway.
T&R
GJS
-
George, if your daughter can post a request on Lost Dunbar, someone on that Facebook page will direct you to photos of the Beltonford maltings or even post the photos on again for you. Gillian
-
Is there any background showing in your photograph? If so, please describe it; or if you can do, post a scan of the photo here.
If it is the cemetery at Dunbar Parish Church, depending on the angle the photo was taken from, you could have a large red sandstone church in the view, or the sea quite close. Some of this cemetery is on a gentle slope.
Google StreetView from the east side of the cemetery at Dunbar Parish Church (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9983856,-2.5105895,3a,75y,329.8h,99.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sR4oZLb2SC87zz_p5Dlm79Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en)
Google StreetView showing proximity of the cemetery by the Parish Church to the sea (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9994963,-2.5118162,3a,75y,120.57h,81.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saB66ZzsYuzgdUaP4qe1JfQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en)
If it is Deer Park Cemetery, that looks to be almost flat, with trees up one side of it; farm fields on two sides, and the road to the remaining side. I doubt you can see the sea from much of the cemetery; or if you can see the sea, it is further away than at the cemetery in the town.
Google StreetView at Deer Park Cemetery (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9911777,-2.4968418,3a,60y,70.6h,96.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNKuGjSFUroIPkmtuBhq1MA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en)
ADP
-
ADP
Unfortunately there is not a lot of background scenery, (unless you count what looks like a skip near the top right of the photograph).
Does it look as if there is a wall going along the top/back of the photograph? Or a white painted wall corner adjacent to the skip?
I have used both Google and Bing maps but neither give either sufficient resolution or proximity to determine any of the headstones that can be seen using the maps.
I would be most grateful for any information any posters can provide.
Thanks in Advance
George
-
George, it's hard to identify which burial ground is in the photo - both the Dunbar Parish Church graveyard and the Deer Park Cemetery have red sandstone walls. From the number of newer headstones, I'd hazard a guess it's Deer Park. If I get a chance when I get to Dunbar from Oz in the next few weeks, I'll have a bit of a look around.
Gillian
-
I have just done a search on Find a Grave at both Dunbar parish church and Deer Park grave yards, nothing listed in either. That is not exceptional though as not all of the headstones are included in the lists, the parish church cemetery list is 56% and the Deer Park cemetery is 95%.
I have also tried to find out when Deer Park cemetery opened but I have come up with a blank on that as well, was it before or after 1958?
Ah well I will have to keep trying
-
George, Deer Park opened well before 1958. I'll post a query on the Lost Dunbar Facebook page and see if anyone can help. Gillian
-
Hi All, I live in Dunbar, recently I've been taking random pictures of headstones at Dunbar Parish Graveyard, uploading them to Find-a-Grave website with a little research on the people.
The picture of the Joseph Smith and Grace Hutton I am fairly confident that it is Deer Park Cemetery. Looking at the picture over the top right hand corner is the skip next to the pavilion. I go their also to lay flowers and because of lockdown/pandemic I can't visit my parents graves so I walk around here instead. Therefore why I recognise it.
People looking for relatives, I'd be happy to help with any and all, if you're happy to share dates and all names you know. It gives me something to do and it would be an honour.
Dunbar Parish Graveyard have no known online records accessible, however the history society have folders at the Town House which can be looked up. Given the closures I e-mailed them requesting a copy to help my research of the Graveyard. But I also know that the John Gray Centre above the Library in Haddington has quite a comprehensive list for reference too. Apparently 2 elderly ladies spent quite some time going around all the Graveyards and Cemeteries in East Lothian taking record. Also a couple of the parishes did likewise. Sadly you have to visit Haddington & Dunbar to access these records.
-
Greetings All
Deerpark Cemetery check out the link https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222472584/joseph-smith
Cheers