St. Thomas' church Skirbeck Quarter Boston

[FrankAT]

Hello. My name is Frank and I attend St Thomas's Church, Skirbeck Quarter. It's a small world isn't it?
The Church celebrates its centenary this year as it was opened on the 9th May 1912. I am doing some film footage with voice-over commentary for historic purposes.
Our two son's attended St Thomas's school; the eldest attending the old one then both finished their primary time at the new one in the 'Low Road'.

[Redroger]

Hi Frank, Welcome to Rootschat. It is a very long time ago now, but if I can help with names or anything else please let me know. There was another teacher there before I started a Mrs. Gledhill, lived on London Road with her daughter Kath, she retired pre 1945. I only knew of her as I worked with the daughter on the railway from the late 1950s until 1962.

[FrankAT]

Hello RR. I see you have an interesting topic going here with many questions about the area and in particular, the church.
The temporary church, or the 'Tin Tabernacle', was opened on 23rd April 1885. It was given a 15 years life span but in fact remained open for services until the permanent, and present church, was erected and opened on May 9th 1912.
Prior to the 'Tin Tabernacle' being built services were held in the school, built in 1866, and was licensed for that purpose. The new school was built in 1968.
There is a book, of which I have a copy, telling of the area and of the churches. It was written by Mr G S Bagley, a well known local author. It cost the princely sum of £2.75. It is out of print and I don't know of any copies going begging, as it were.
I am looking forward to getting my filming done in this special year, and have about ten minutes completed to date. There are several events to come yet and we hope the weather will improve for us.
If I can help with any questions, please ask and I will put the 'little grey cells' to work.

[FrankAT]

I see AN65 says Gran was buried at the church in 1909. That would not have been the present church as it wasn't built yet. The first sod of earth was turned by the Rev'd Albert Lombardini on June 1st 1911. I don't know where burials were but I can inquire.
In the book I have both the old and new church on the same  picture. It is thought to be the only one in existence. Also pictures of the Tin Tabernacle, and the present church. I could scan them but how to get them on the site, I don't know - advice please, if it is indeed possible.

[Redroger]

It is indeed possible Frank, the essential is to make sure the scan in 500Kb or less in size, and that the file has a unique name. Suggest you look at the help pages on this one, but if you get stuck I am sure you will be assisted by another member of Rootschat. I have a picture of the "Iron church" in a book about Boston, but not of both buildings together. Interesting. Like you I wonder where the burials took place at that time (1909etc). Before I left Boston the graveyard had been extended on the western side of the church, but I expect they are in a critical state for burial ground now due to the housing developments around the church.

[pamthomas]

I see AN65 says Gran was buried at the church in 1909. That would not have been the present church as it wasn't built yet. The first sod of earth was turned by the Rev'd Albert Lombardini on June 1st 1911. I don't know where burials were but I can inquire.
In the book I have both the old and new church on the same  picture. It is thought to be the only one in existence. Also pictures of the Tin Tabernacle, and the present church. I could scan them but how to get them on the site, I don't know - advice please, if it is indeed possible.

Yes please, Frank, as I also would be interested in knowing the answer.
This is the first page of the burial register deposited at Lincolnshire Archives.
http://www.lincstothepast.com/Records/RecordDisplayTranscript.aspx?oid=775688&iid=333647
with burials beginning in December 1914.
Baptism and marriage registers are within the '100 years privacy rule' and are therefore not available on the Lincs to the Past site.

[pamthomas]

Answering my own question , I suspect that burials for people who lived in Skirbeck Quarter when the 'Tin Tabernacle' existed happened in a variety of places.
Boston cemetery opened in 1855 while Wyberton church isn't too far away from some parts of the parish.
Plus of course, Skirbeck Quarter originally was in the civil parish of Skirbeck and the ecclesiastical parish of Skirkbeck St Nicholas. (Check out Rowell Row, which in 1936 became the top end of Wyberton Low Road, in the 1881 census. RG11/3219 folio 122 page 21.)

I've just been looking through the burials for St Nicks in 1896-1898, and places of abode are Boston, Holy Trinity Skirbeck, St Nicholas Skirbeck, Skirbeck Quarter, and I've found a couple of the people living on London Road in the 1891 census.
And in the burial register beginning in 1910 the lovely vicar has written people's addresses in the register, noting Rowell Row, White Bridges, and Wilson's Cottages (they're the ones at Butler's Corner in Wyberton Low Road for all those who bought one of Tommy Butler's penny frozen ice lollies.  )

[pamthomas]

I have to post this separately.

FrankAT - thank you so very much for coming to this thread.

Because of your remark about burials before the present St Thomas' church was built, which sent me looking at the online burials of St Nicks, I have now found the burials of my mum's brother (who died aged 3 months) and sister (who died two days before her second birthday). They both died before my mum was born and all I knew was that the vicar at St Thomas' wouldn't bury Olive because she hadn't been baptised.  (Not withstanding the fact that for most of her life her father had been away at sea during the war and granny wanted granddad to be home for the baptism .)

Finding their burials means so much to me.

[pamthomas]

I've just noticed that some of the burials in the Skirbeck St Nicholas PRs for people who lived in Skirbeck Quarter c 1910 were conducted by A Lombardini.
Wasn't he the vicar at St Thomas when it was still the 'Tin Tabernacle'?

Further searching reveals in 1896 W T (Walter Thomas) Fielding conducting a burial  and signing himself 'Curate in charge of Skirbeck Quarter' in the St Nicks PR.

From a note at the beginning of the PR for 1895 -1910 
http://www.lincstothepast.com/Records/RecordDisplayTranscript.aspx?oid=613182&iid=330555
all the burials listed in the PR took place in  St Nicks' graveyard because the burials have plot numbers beside them.
No such note at the beginning of the 1910 - 1940 register though.