Burial Plot Records - St Pauls Birmingham

[fayl]

Yes will keep you updated.  I am planning on walking to St Pauls when I leave the library - if it's not too late - and weather permitting.

Fay

[paul.g]

Hi Fay,

That's great news, thanks for persevering. Frustrating that the library seems to be in such confusion!

If you come across any reference to my 3 x great grandfather during your visit, I'd be very grateful to hear of it. He name was Thomas William Parker and he died on 8th May 1860; he was buried at St Paul's on 13th May 1860. Good luck on Thursday!

Paul

[Sloe Gin]

Good luck!  Hope it's a fine day for you. 

[fayl]

Thank you everyone. Just shows how great the members are on here coming up with the info I needed, plus not giving up on my part despite the archives telling me otherwise.

Paul, I will have a look to see if there is any reference to your 3 x grandfathers burial.

Fay

[fayl]

Just got back home from my visit to the archives department at Birmingham Central Library - feeling very disappointed i'm afraid.

There were 4 volumes awaiting me when I arrived covering varying dates.

They were a little hard to decipher - some of the writing was very feint - but to be fair these records are almost 200 years old - wished i'd taken my magnifying glass with me. 

The first volume I picked incorporated 1860 so I started searching for Pauls 3 x grandfathers burial - the dates ran up to 1861 then some of the pages went back to 1859 and then forward.  I scoured every page by date first, then went through all the names that were legible but nothing in that volume.

I did the same for the other 2 volumes with respect to 1860 but came up with nothing - sorry Paul.

Then started looking for my ancestors burial - 1839 - again the volume I checked went up to 1839 then backwards  - then forwards - but nothing.

The last volume started at 1833 - and I felt sure I would find the details I was looking for - you know what they say "leave the best till last" - unfortunately not in this case.

There were probably half a dozen entries for 1833 on one page then the next entry was 1843 - what happened to the years in between I asked myself.  There were no pages missing/torn out as the dates above were all on the same page.

I spoke with a member of staff to enquire as to whether there were any other volumes/records - but alas no.  She obviously couldn't shed any light on why there were no entries for those missing years.  The entries on that page were all made in the same handwriting - but why there were no records for burials during those 10 years I just don't know (and doubt I will ever find out).

My husband and I then walked down to St Pauls and had a wander around the grounds.  I do know my GG Grandfather was buried on the east side (St Pauls gave me that information when I made enquiries initially) - so I took a few photographs, but by this time I was very cold and feeling very disappointed so came home.

Maybe in the better weather I will pay another visit to St Pauls and go inside the church in the hope I may meet Dennis who may give me a little bit more information on burials in the past.

Fay

[Keitht]

Fay,

It does seem extremely strange to have a 10 year gap in the burials. I wonder whether the church might have been out of use for a while? I've just looked through its history - or at least what is available of it online - but have found nothing. I'll do some research and if I can find the answer I'll come back to you.

Regards,

Keith

[fayl]

Hi Keith

Yes very strange for burials during those 10 years to be missing from the burial plot registers. 

The church couldn't have been out of use as burials were obviously taking place during that period as my GG Grandfather was buried there on 28th April 1839 and the entry number taken from the church burial registry is 1947.

Another mystery relating to St Pauls records.

Fay

[fayl]

Just to recap Keith in one of the other volumes there were some burials listed through to 1839 but not one for my GG Grandfather.

With hindsight I should have asked the member of staff if she knew why there were 2 registers for that time period - as I said the writing was very feint and maybe if i had taken a magnifying glass i may have read some description in the front of the books which may have told me more.

Fay

[Keitht]

Fay,

I'm planning to go there before too long. I'll make sure I'm fully equipped.

I've seen so many parish registers like thet - either too feint to read or so badly scrawled as to be illegible. I can understand your frustration. What bugs me is that I've walked past and even through St Pauls churchyard dozens of times without knowing until shortly before Christmas that I had an ancestor buried there.

Keith