Four Sisters of Barnston Hall

These tombstones in the churchyard of St.Andrews at Barnston, Essex, tell of sad and poignant tales of four sisters who all died young.
The first to die was, Martha Susannah who died of 'A slow decline' at the age of 14 years old in 1827. Thirteen years after that in 1840, Emma who was aged 22 years, was thrown from her horse. Eight months later, Jane who was aged 19 years old died of a heart attack and her demise was closely followed by 16 year old Maria, who succumbed to smallpox.


Sacred

to the Memory of

Martha Susannah

Third daughter of

Edward and Sarah Livermore

of Barnston Hall

who departed this life

April 3 1827

Aged 14 years

My life was like an April sky
Changing at each fleeting hour
A slow decline taught me to rely
And rest my hope in my Creators power

Sacred
to the Memory of
Emma
Fourth daughter of
Edward and Sarah Livermore
of Barnston Hall
who died Sep. 10 1840
Aged 22 Years

Our life is but a single thread
Which soon is cut and we are dead
Then boast not reader of thy might
Alive and well at noon and dead at night

Sacred
to the Memory of
Jane
Daughter of
Edward and Sarah Livermore
of Barnston Hall
She died May 30 1841
Aged 19 Years

The rising morning ca'nt assure
That we shall end the day
For Death stands ready at the door
To take our lives away

Sacred
to the Memory of
Maria
Youngest daughter of
Edward and Sarah Livermore
of Barnston Hall
who died Dec. 9th 1841
Aged 16 Years

Put not your trust in strength or youth
But trust in Heaven whose gifts they are
And now the solemn voice of truth
Hear, and to meet thine God prepare

This painting of the Livermore Sisters tombs by the artist Kenneth Rowntree was done in the 1940's as a part of the 'Recording Britain' series . It provides a record of the appearance of a typical country churchyard before the mass clearances of the 1950s and 1960s. These clearances led to a great deal of local social history to become lost forever as the gravestones themselves were often broken up.

Barnston Hall, the home of the Livermore Sisters as mentioned on their headstones.

Sleeping in Tombs

Photo not from Mill Road Cemetery

 

I saw this article on the front page of our local paper the 'Cambridge News' and was shocked to see how the Mill Road Cemetery in Cambridge had quite literally become a 'Sleeping Garden' not for the Dearly Departed, but the Drunk and Drugged.

Here is the full story:

 

Drunks and Addicts 'Sleeping in Tombs' by Chris Havergal

 

Drunks are pushing the lids off tombs at a Cambridge cemetery to sleep inside them.Horrified people living close to the graveyard have also reported seeing drug-addicts injecting themselves while sat in graves.

Police revealed the full impact of street drinking on the Petersfield neighbourhood in their bid to ban alcohol sales at a shop which they claim is a “soft touch” on liquor sales and a magnet for troublemakers – News and More in Norfolk Street.

Officers said problems started at the store and spread out into the surrounding area, including to Mill Road cemetery, which is plagued by drunkenness, littering, defecating and drug abuse, and can be accessed via an alleyway opposite the newsagent.

In a statement, Pc Alan Tregilgas said: “It is not unusual to find drunken persons sleeping in this area and in some cases tombstone lids have been pushed off so they can sleep inside them.
“One resident said she was shocked when she saw a male sitting on a grave with his trousers down injecting himself in his thigh in full view of everyone.”
In a first for the city’s force, officers have drawn up a dossier of evidence to support a request to revoke News and More’s licence, and this will be determined by councillors on Monday, January 7.

In the file, police and residents allege street drinkers frequent Norfolk Street itself from 8.30am, intimidating pupils at St Matthew’s Primary School by drinking, vomiting, urinating and begging, and by letting dogs run free.
Evidence about News and More include claims that:

* Staff opened the door of a fridge containing alcohol for two men who were too drunk to do so themselves and then sold liquor to the pair.

* A drunk man was asked for directions to the shop because he said 'it was the only place he would get served'.

* The store is seen as a 'Soft Touch' by people determined to get alcohol, whatever state they are in.

* A binge drinker died hours after being served alcohol there, having been refused liquor at another nearby newsagent because he looked sick.

Pc Peter Sinclair, the force’s licensing officer, said he believed owner Shailesh Patel was “knowingly breaching” licensing rules by serving drunks and that there was a “causal link” between sales at the shop and disorder.

He said advice given on numerous occasions “appeared to have fallen on deaf ears” and that the Patels “have by their behaviour treated the law-abiding residents in the area with utter contempt”.

However, the Patels have won support from customers, 39 of whom have written letters calling for the licence to remain in place – plus 112 who signed a petition.
They claim the Patels are careful about who they sell alcohol to and that it would be unfair to single out News and More when street drinking was a citywide problem.
Mr Patel said he had voluntarily stopped selling super-strength alcohol and that he had “tried his best” to prevent problems.













 

Died on All Hallows' Eve 1917

 

 

We recently visited Carnforth Railway's Heritage Centre in Lancashire,

where this display was exhibited in honour of the local men

who had fought in the Great War.

 

Henry Gardner was killed in an enemy Air Raid on 31st October 1917 in Belgium

during the First World War. His grave is in the Solferino Farm Cemetery, Ieper West~Vlaanderen. He was a Sapper, official number 265578 in the Army with the 22nd Light Railway Operating Coy, Royal Engineers. He died in his 21st year and was the son of Edwar and Ann Gardener of 14 King Street, Carnforth, Lancashire.

 

 

A photograph of Henry's War Grave was sent to his Father.  

 

 

Photograph by War Graves Photograph volunteer: Rudy van Kerckhoven

 

 

 Henry's name appears on the Role of Honour on the War memorial,

opposite the Railway station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Savile's Headstone, Removed And Dumped

The following story comes courtsey of SKY News, related videos and the Funeral Directors comments on the removal of the Headstone may be seen by clicking on the bold script.

The late TV star's headstone is to be sent to landfill after its removal from a cemetery by his family amid new sex abuse claims.

 

 

 

 

Police investigating sexual abuse allegations made against Sir Jimmy Savile say they are pursuing 120 leads going back 50 years. Sky's Katie Stallard reports.

 

Sir Jimmy Savile's gravestone is going to be broken up and dumped after being removed from a cemetery in Scarborough amid new sexual abuse claims.

Scotland Yard says up to 25 young girls were allegedly targeted by the late television star over a period dating back to 1959.

His family said it took the decision to remove his headstone, which bears Savile's image and lists his accomplishments, as a mark of respect to others buried in the cemetery. It had only been in place for three weeks.

"(We) are deeply aware of the impact that the stone remaining there could have on the dignity and sanctity of the cemetery," a statement released on behalf of the family said.

                                                                                                            

"Out of respect to public opinion, to those who are buried there, and to those who tend their graves and visit there, we have decided to remove it."

Scarborough Borough Council said the work was carried out shortly after midnight - ahead of the scheduled time of 7.30 on Wednesday morning - to minimise disruption and potential vandalism. Police shut the gates of the cemetery as it took place.

Despite making the request, his family did not know it would be removed under the cover of night and the decision to do it then was made by the council and funeral directors.

The elaborate tombstone has been taken to a stonemason's yard in Leeds where the inscription will be ground down. It will then be broken up and sent to landfill.

                                                                                                                  

The grave, in which Savile was buried at an angle so he could "see" Scarborough Castle and the sea, will remain unmarked.

Funeral director Robert Morphet, who organised Savile's funeral in November last year and oversaw the dismantling of the headstone, said that once the family had come to terms with the outcome of various investigations they will make a decision as to how the grave should be marked in the future.

A number of memorials to Sir Jimmy have also been removed, including an inscription on the wall at Leeds Civic Hall in recognition of his charity work, and a street sign in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

A plaque outside his home has already been defaced.

                                                                                                             

Scores of sexual abuse claims against Sir Jimmy have been made to the police and the NSPCC charity in recent days.

It follows an ITV documentary examining historic claims about the presenter's behaviour with children, which aired last week.

Commander Peter Spindler, head of specialist crime investigations at Scotland Yard, said the allegations span four decades, with information suggesting abuse was on a "national scale".

"At this stage it is quite clear from what women are telling us that Savile was a predatory sex offender," he said.

Some 120 leads are being followed up by detectives, with five different police forces involved.

                                                                                                                      

Police have so far recorded two allegations of rape and six allegations of indecent assault against the former Top of the Pops presenter. The youngest victim was 13 at the time of the alleged attack.

Mr Spindler said the first allegation dates back to about 1959 but most claims seemed to be from the 1970s and 80s.

Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "I think we now have acceptance by the investigators that the scale of this is truly big and growing."

Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted that Sir Jimmy could be posthumously stripped of his knighthood.

                                                                                                                     

However, the move would require a change in the law as technically when the former DJ died last year the honour ceased to exist.

TV presenter and founder of the charity ChildLine, Esther Rantzen, is backing a petition to have him stripped of his knighthood, which if left unchecked, she said "taints the whole honours system".

In an interview with Sky News, Rantzen, who worked at the BBC alongside Savile, added: "From my point of view, [the revelation] absolutely wrecks the image of a charity fundraiser and the friend of royalty and the friend of a prime minister.

"For me now, I'm afraid, Jimmy Savile will be remembered as a predatory paedophile."

                                                                                                                             

There have also been calls for Saville to have his papal knighthood removed - although as for the civil order it also ceases to exist after death. He was awarded this in 1990, the same year as he was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Church in England and Wales told Sky News: "If the allegations prove to be true and the Church had known about it at the time, the papal knighthood would not have been awarded."

The NSPCC is urging anyone abused or harmed by Savile to speak out and contact them and the police.

The charity’s head of child protection awareness, Christopher Cloke, told Sky News: "We need to learn from these very, very tragic circumstances so we can better protect children today."

 

 

Wednesdays Child

He Shall Gather The Lambs With His Arm

Lois Ann

Daughter of

Robert & Emma L.

Brazier

Died 19th June 1869

I think the lead work on this beautiful little headstone is amazing, not just because it's so delicate but also for its incredible endurance over the years. 

Ferry Boat Drowning

In Ever Loving

Memory of

Violet Maude Handscomb

Who was Drowned in the

Ferry Boat Disaster at Fen Ditton

June 10th 1905 Aged 22 Years

The Ferry boat tragedy occured when some drunken undergraduate students attempted to climb aboard the already full 'Plough Ferry' at Fen Ditton shortly after the May boat races had taken place in nearby Cambridge.
As the ferry overturned, Violet was one of three women who drowned and lost their lives that day. 

Today the River Cam appears to be a relatively tame and easy river to cross, but in Edwardian times it was wider and shallower and edged by fen and bog, making it extremely hard to cross. Wagons, livestock and pedestrians used the ferries to traverse the river at this time.

Today there are many bridges crossing The Cam in Cambridge, but apart from the Great Bridge ~ the origin of the City's name and more commonly known as Magdalene Bridge ~  most river crossings before the Edwardian period required a ferry, of which there were several.

Bate's Ferry on the site of Victoria Bridge: a ferry by the Fort St. George ~ replaced by a footbridge in 1927. 
Dant's ferry replaced by the Cutter ~ Pye ~ footbridge, between Pembroke and Emmanuel Boat Houses.
Horse Grind ferry at Chesterton by the Green Dragon pub.
B.Jolley's ferry from the Pike and Eel pub.
Ditton Plough ferry.
All of these were known as 'Grind' ferries, because they were pulled across by a chain wound by hand. The Horse Grind ferry was unusual in that the grind was powered by a horse.

Surgeon of the Parish ~ Linton, Cambridge

In Loving Memory of

Harriette

Wife of Frederick Bennett

Died January 30th 1893

Also of

Frederick Bennett

For Many Years Surgeon of This Parish

Die 11th Dec 1896 Aged 70.

So I Googled Frederick Bennett's name and occuption and approx year that he would have been practicing and discovered the following information:

Frederick Bennett, a surgeon in England. ~as on his sons marriage certificate~
His son Frederick Henry Bennett b ABT 1848,at Islington,Middlesex, a wine Merchant, married 12th May 1877 in the parish of Woodford, Essex to Emma Baker b.ABT 1845.

Their children, Frederick George and Agnes M. B.ABT 1880 ~twins~, Sydney Harmond b 1882 and John Henry b.1881. The boys and their mother Emma immigrated to New Zealand in 1913.

I then contacted Sally Riches in New Zealand who had posted this information, offering her my photo of the headstone and to see if she had any photographs of Frederick or Harriette, she wrote back to say:

 What a nice surprise to get your message 7 yrs after posting my one.

I would love to have a photo of the headstone. Frederick Bennett was my mothers great grandfather. I was always wanting to trace his medical background as early census listed his occupation as a chemist and then it changed to surgeon.

Most of the information I have is taken from the census records 1851-1891, but missing the family in 1861.    Frederick Bennett was born in 1818 in Wantage, Berkshire, son of John Bennett who was also a chemist. By 1851 Frederick was working in Clerkenwell as a chemist/drugist, then his occupation changes to Surgeon in London in 1856.
We lose his and his families whereabouts until 1871 when he appears as surgeon in Linton, Cambridge where he lives till his death in 1896 of Senile Decay.

He married Harriette Bennett n May 15th 1847, daughter of George Bennett, Gentleman. She was born in Ullington, Gloucestershire.,

He and harriette had 3 children,
Frederick henry b.1848 who married Emma Baker in 1877 and became a Wine Merchant, they had 3 sons and 1 daughter
Harriette Georgiana b.1850 who married John Holt Moxon of Rugeley, Staffordshire and had 6 daughters and 1 son
Fanney b.1856
We are related to his son Frederick Henry Bennett and his son Sydney Harman Bennett.

We have no photos of him.

Many thanks for filling in some of the history Sally.