How many Churchyards in Devizes?

[Brant81uk]

To anyone who knows or lives in Devizes I am looking for information on The number of churches there are in Devizes?

My Great Grandad was buried there but I'm not sure where to start looking?? His nam was Edward David Brant and he died abt 1968.

A y help would be great!

Kind regards,

Tyrone

[glenclare]

Hi Tyrone,
I think there would have been two possibly three places for a burial.
St. Johns or St James' would be the most likely.
Would you like me to go and have a look for him?

Glen

[Brant81uk]

Hi Glen,

That would be fantastic and thanks for the offer. My dad and I were planning a trip to Devizes but it's about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the car so if you wouldn't mind trying to locate the grave that would be great.

Thank you for your kind gesture!

Regards,

Tyrone

[glenclare]

Hi Tyrone,
As promised we wandered off to try and find your GGrandad.
We have checked
St John's, St Mary's, St Andrews Methodist, St, James' and even the Salem chapel.
We saw the burial registers at those with burials during the time of death we were looking for. No sign of him.
Several of the churches had no room for burials and only had remembrance stones for cremations, or no new burials. We checked those.
Following this up we found that most of the burials took place at the municipal cemetery. The Town Hall has the records and a lady there checked the on-line records and the actual register but no sign of him.

From this I have had several thoughts
1) Was he living and then died in Devizes or in one of the many surrounding villages? Do you have an address or information that may point us in the right direction as he could be anywhere in the registration district?

2) Was he possibly returned to his family to be buried in a different area to his death?

3) Is it possible he was cremated? The most commonly used one was Haycombe at Bath, occasionally Kingsdown in Swindon, or more rarely Salisbury. They were all established before 1968, but there was not one near by until well after the death date.

Let me know where you would like me to try next
Regards
Glen

[Brant81uk]

Hi Glen,

Thank you so much for taking the time out to do all the research you did, I cant thank you enough. Shame my Gt Grandad wasn't in any of the places you tried. I'll give you a little history of what I know from my dad:

My grandad Edward William Brant fellout with his dad Edward David Brant in the early 40's when my grandad was around 16. He hadnt seen his father since he was about 4 years old as Edward Snr had just come back from living in Ireland for several years with a leg injury. My Gt Nan Winifred Brant nee Buckle nursed him back to health and soon as he was better, he made his excuses and buggered off, as far as my nan and dad knew, to a farm in Devizes Wiltshire.

For all these years knowbody knew what had happened to him and my dad thought maybe, at a very slim chance, he could still be alive. We only knew Edward Snr had died when I started looking into the records on Ancestry and found he had died in Devizes Wiltshire in 1968.

So I have now ordered the death certificate to see if I can find out which parish he died in and who registered his death as he was only 64 and very unlikly he died in an old peoples home at that age?


Soon as the certificate arrives I shall let you know what it says and from what my nan said he may of re-married and had a daughter but at the moment that is only guess work...

So thanks again Glen for everything you did and I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

Very much appreciated and kind regards,

Tyrone  

[glenclare]

Hi Tyrone,

Farming would be right in this area. Very rural, even towns aren't big.
Apologies if I don't respond to any posts for a few days, I work an odd shift pattern, but I will get back to you.
Hope the certificate enlightens us a bit.
Best wishes
Glen

[Brant81uk]

Hi Glen,

Been a while and I finally got my Gt Grandad's death cert though the post. And I first have to apologise for send ing you on a wild goose chase, he was Cremated!!! So sorry for that but I never knew, but we knew nothing of my Gt Grandad as he hadnt spoken to my grandad since my GD was 16.

Any way the cert said the following:

Edward David Brant died on the 18th July 1968 on Oak Lane, Easterton. He was a retired Security Policeman (MOD) (Army) (Retired).

Now the person who registered the death was a person called Blackhall who resided at the same address. I have the intials of the person who recorded his death but I wont add just incase they are still alive.

Bit stumped as to tackle this now? I dont know the person who recorded the death if it was a man or women? And I have no idea where to being looking ?

Anyway thats not your concern but thought i'd just update you with what the certificate said.

Thanks again,

Tryone

 

[glenclare]

Hi Tyrone,

I have sent you a PM,

Glen

[Moonraker55]

Tyrone

I wonder if you are looking in the right place. Devizes was a registration district and I assume that it was in 1968 which covers a wide area around this very rural and thinly populated area. I note that the death was in Easterton, which is just on the edge of Salisbury Plain (a good place for MoD Police!) near the Lavingtons.

It is likely, if he died there, that the burial took place in Easterton, Market Lavington or somewhere nearby.

Regards
John