Completed Bishopwearmouth Burial

[northernsearcher]

Can anyone help me locate a grave please.  I have the following information from Durham Records on line; Burial Record Burials, Sunderland District - Record Number: 473340.2 Location: Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.  I also have  a map of Bishopwearmouth cemetery which I found at; http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2205. The problem is that the numbering on the map does not match the record number and as I am quite far from the North East I can't go and look at the cemetery itself.  Am I misunderstanding the numbering system? Is there a vital bit of information I don't have?  I am hoping to go to Sunderland in August but I won't have much time and I am trying to get as much research done as I can before the visit.  That way I hope I can maximise what I see etc.
Hoping someone can help.
Jen

[stanmapstone]

Have you seen Locating a Grave http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2072 ?
This says:
A general guideline is that the first number or group of letters indicates the Ward in which the grave is located . The following letter(s) gives the type of grave. The final group of digits specifies the actual grave number. .............
In the majority of cases the information contained in this leaflet should allow you to locate the grave you require, however if you need further help please contact the Cemeteries Office on tel : (0191) 553 1687 where the staff will be pleased to assist you.


Stan

[northernsearcher]

Thank you for your reply Stan.  I hadn't seen the guide so your reply was really helpful. I thought I had located the grave about half an hour ago, but now I am not so confident. Partly because there are no letters on the reference I have from Durham Records Online and also now because the number I have is longer than the grave no. that I located. I will contact the Cemeteries Office for clarification. Thank you for the phone number.
Jen

[JayG]

The record number isn't anything related to the grave/plot number, it's DRO's own numbering system, each record has one so sadly that won't help you locate the grave.

None of the cemetery records i've downloaded have the grave/plot numbers on them.  I did manage to obtain them by looking at the mircofilmed copies of the cemetery registers at a LDS Family History Centre.

Jay

[northernsearcher]

JayG thank you for this information, I think it confirms my original thought that I couldn't relate the two sets of numbers.  I think I might email DRO and ask them how they get the information and why it doesn't give the plot number. If they have the info. from burial records surely they must have the plot number?  Will post here if I find out.
Thanks again
Jen

[Wearsider]

It may also be worth your while contacting the Local Studies Department of City of Sunderland Libraries as they hold microfilm copies of all the burial records for the municipal cemeteries.  You will see a reference to this if you follow the link that Stan Mapstone provided to 'Locating a grave....' in an earlier posting.

Wearsider.

[cwr1404]

Hi. I'm hopefully off to Bishopwearmouth Cemetery tomorrow to find a grave, so if you've managed to find the plot number I'd happily take a photo for you.

If you haven't, can you post any more info about who's grave you're looking for - name, death date, and possibly religion? The cemetery is very big but quite well laid out according to those factors, and the online ward map does give the names of purchased graves.

[northernsearcher]

Hi cwr
Thankyou so much for your kind offer.  I have had computer problems for the last few days and have been unable to access my emails and records.  I haven't yet had an opportunity to telephone the cemeteries office  as I had the number on my machine.  Back to normal now, I have downloaded the ward plans for Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, it certainly is very big, and I will phone them today.  This is probably too late for you, but thank you again anyway.  The details are:

John Dugdale - Bishopwearmouth Church, St Michael's, 18 Nov 1831 - John Dugdale of Deptford age 34

and

William Dugdale 4 Jan 1893 - Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, William Dugdale of 73 Trimdon St age: 65, blacksmith

I think John (father of William) must be buried in the church yard not the cemetery but looking from Google Earth there doesn't seem much space around the church.  I am wondering if some graves were relocated.

thank you again for your very generous offer,
Jen

[stanmapstone]

Bishopwearmouth cemetery was not opened until July 1856. An extension of Bishopwearmouth's burial ground was set out for the burial of cholera the victims (Hind Street Cemetery: Opened in 1831) It is now under the ring road, the bodies being exhumed and re-interred in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery. All funerals were excluded  from St. Michael’s and All Angels Churchyard, on 15th October 1849 due to excessive overcrowding, the tombstones were later used as flagstones.
Stan