Sutton Bonington Churchyard

[Scatt69]

Thomas Shepherd 1793-1885
Elizabeth Shepherd (nee Swain) 1784-1861

Hi everyone, here is a photo i've acquired of my gt gt gt grandparents headstone with some relatives standing and sitting around. NBI and other sources say that the burial took place on 7 jan 1886 at Sutton Bonington, St Michael. Having visited the three graveyards in Sutton i cannot find the headstone and i find that none look like this one (with the path and walled entrance). I wonder if anyone can confirm that the churchyard at st michaels has changed in the last hundred years or if anyone recognises the churchyard as a completely different place.

Any other thoughts on the photo would be greatly appreciated.

Many thank, Paul

[haliared]

Hi Paul,
Not sure if this website will help
www.churchplansonline.org
but it might help you to know if it was altered etc.
Best wishes, haliared

[Suttonrog]

Paul,

I can confirm the dates you have from the NFHS CD, but they have the names as Shephard.

I was there a few years ago and you are right that it does not look like that now - but has been remodeled.

Perhaps there is some one else  who can confirm but I think there used to be a gate like on the south side to what used to be a school house that is now a private house.

In 81 Thomas lived between a lot of my relatives.

Rog

[Suttonrog]

Paul,

If you have not yet found them the Sutton Bonington Local History Society has published several booklets on SB. One of them REMEMBERING SUTTON BONINGTON: 2  WORK AND LEISURE has few paragraphs on the Shepherds and mentions Thomas.

Pm me if you would like details

Rog

[Scatt69]

Haliared:
Thanks for the website. very interesting stuff on their but nothing really to help my photo investigation. Thanks anyway, might come in handy for other lines of the family tree though.

Rog:
Yes it is spelt incorrectly on the index i used too. But Shepherd seems to get spelt differently a lot of times in my research. My family line is definitely spelt with the "e" though. I tend to agree that the churchyard must have been redesigned but i just have that nagging doubt. The problem is that Elizabeth died over 20 years prior to thomas (she was from Castle Donington) and isn't mentioned as buried in Sutton on the NBI disks i have. Ha ha yes Thomas was quite a character. I have quite a bit of info on him and the other Shepherds from Sutton. However, i would like to get hold of the books you mention. I'll PM you for details.

Many thanks, Paul

[Suttonrog]

Paul,

She is in the NFHS cd as buried in St Michael's in 61. The Notts Family History Society have a fiche of MIs for Sutton Bonnington and Marl Pit Hill. If you get no more responses it may be worth posting on the look up board to see if anyone has access to the MIs. This would solve the problem.

There was a cemetery in Marl Pit Hill, but I think this was later after the churchyard became full.

Rog

[Scatt69]

hi Rog

thanks for the info in the PM. Yes, i checked Marl Pit Hill when i visited and it does seem that all the graves there are more recent.
I actually think the photo is taken much later than the actual burial. I've looked at photos from around the turn of the century and the ladies hats seem to be closer to that period than the 1880's (If anyone disagrees please put me right).
If the fellow on the far right next to the headstone is Thomas' son William (this is by no means certain, their were other sons), his wife passed away in 1898, her absence from the picture would suggest later than that date.

Anyway i'll leave it for a few days and then do as you suggest and try a lookup for the MI.

Many thanks for your time.