Stories still circulate that in the 19th and early 20th century babies who died within days of their birth were buried with unrelated adults awaiting a funeral, usually an elderly woman – a comfort to the bereaved mother. So far I have not found any examples in Radnor Street Cemetery, but then how would such an incident be discovered?
Mostly the babies were buried in large, communal plots. In section Lower B there are a number of these plots reserved for the burial of infants under a year old. Several babies lived for just five minutes. Some entries contain the barest details while others include the parents’ names; one sad entry records ‘male child found in Wilts & Berks Canal.’ Burials often took place daily, sometimes with more than one burial a day.
Here is a list of the names of those babies buried in grave plot B2899 between 1903-1905.
1903
7771 Margaretta Hobbs 10 days 23 Poulton Street 3rd March
7796 Ethel Blake 24 hours 39 Summers Street 25th March
7804 Edward John Gibbs 16 days 107 Salisbury Street 28th March
7811 Florence May Alder 13 days 6 Avening Street 1st April 1903
7812 George Jackson 5 min 14 Ripley Road 1st April
7814 Alfred George Gibbs 3 weeks 107 Salisbury Street 4th April (twin of Edward John Gibbs)
7830 child of John and Lily Selwood 13 days 50 Suffolk Street 16th April
7846 George Edmund Jackson 6 hours 28 Whiteman Street 24th April
7851 Turner (male) 1 hour 25 Vilett Street 28th April
7853 Edith Thesbe Ashton 1 month 22 Regent Place 29th April
7882 Albert Edward King 1 day 24 Byron Street 28th May
7855 David William Williams 14 days 14 Regent Place 6th June
7893 Ernest Speake 8 days 162 Westcott Place 11th June
7947 Frederick Hudd 1 hour 28 Avening Street 27th July
7961 Charles Blake 7 hours 64 Bridge Street 7th August
7971 Stanley (female) 10 minutes 65 Ponting Street 12th August
7975 Alice Irene Beard 17 hours 59 Eastcott Hill 18th August
7982 Gladys Eliza Smith 25 days 3 Gloucester Street 23th August
7986 Percival James Lawrence 12 days 2 Dowling Street 28th August
7991 Edward Ockwell 4 hours 10 Hythe Road 1st September
7996 Annie & Jessie Smith (twins) 1 day 41 Avening Street 10th September
8015 George Ricks 1 day 224 Ferndale Road 24th September
8016 John Baker 25 days 14 Whitehead Street 25th September
8017 Lily Barington 4 days 22 Rosebery Street 28th September
8022 Minnie Broadbear 22 hours 76 Crombey Street 2nd October
8048 Herbert George Mitchell 1 day 19 Dowling Street 25th October
8062 William Alfred Farrer 2 days 1 Holbrook Street 5th November
8068 William Thomas Payne 1 day 5 Carr Street 10th November
8070 Violet Harding 1 day 7 Morley Street 11th November
8074 Violet Law 21 days 122 Morrison Street 14th November
8081 Ethel May Payne 12 days 5 Carr Street 20th November (twin of William Thomas)
8089 Elizabeth May Peters 11 days 89 Medgbury Road 27th November
8095 George Morris 7 hours 95 Ponting Street 30th November
8097 James Rawlinson 25 days 3 Medgbury Place 1st December
8110 Dolly Rendell Illegitimate child of Charlotte Rendell 1 month 22 Swindon Road 9th December
8114 Albert Edward Ponting 16 days 26 Hinton Street 10th December
8135 Hall (male child) 13 hours 146 Beatrice Street 19th December
8138 John Chandler 2 days 9 Whitney Street 23rd December 1903
1904
8156 Elizabeth Chappell 12 days 6 Morris Cottages 1st January
8162 Charles Frederick Lander 15 days 6 Kitchener Street 5th January
8170 Stephen John Warren 3 weeks 12 Bradford Road 7th January
8181 Grace Wright 7 days 12 Granville Terrace 11th January
8189 William Arthur Franklin 1 month 155 Redcliffe Street 15th January
8196 Frederick James Webb 1 month 11 Bright Street 18th January
8197 Pope Francis Pope 21 hours 71 Curtis Street 19th January
8210 Fred Jefferies 1 day View Point House, North Street 28th January 1904
8216 Gladys Carter 13 days 4 Salisbury Street 30th January
8217 Alfred Edward Lord 27 days 46 Prospect Hill 30th January
8230 James Woolford 36 hours 134 Morrison Street 5th February 1904
8235 Speck (male) 10 months 13 Chester Street 8th February
8238 Mabel Boucher 1 month 25 Oriel Street 10th February
8247 Edith Beer 2 days 26 Prospect Place 19th February
8253 Bertie Green 3 days 101 Westcott Place 20th February
8262 (a) Albert Edward Button 1 month 14 Commercial Road 27th February
8263 Harold Edwards 5 days 69 Caulfield Road 29th February 1904
8264 Percival (male) 5 minutes 4 Bruce Street 29th February 1904
8271 Henry William Turner 5 days 7 Cambria Bridge Road 3rd March
8301 Elizabeth Ann Mayell 1 month 17 Florence Street 26th March 1904
8317 Lily Griffiths 2 days 18 Avening Street 11th April
8323 Sidney Alfred Leach 13 hours 25 Avening Street 19th April
8326 Stanley (male) 3 days 85 Dixon Street 19th April
8328 Gladys Kent 14 days 36 Cricklade Street 20th April
8330 Sarah Osborne minor 20 mins 20 Belgrave Street 22nd April
8353 Florence May Wright 1 month 23 Dean Street 7th May
8356 Charles Brown 6 hours 151 Morrison Street 13th May
8363 Emma Lecomte 12 hours 87 Eastcott Hill 18th May
8372 Elizabeth Ellen Adams 13 days 12 Exeter Street 24th May
8382 Harry Loxton 12 hours 1 Sonning Villa 30th May
8405 Hector Cecil Ashfield 2 days 34 Prospect Place 21st June
8409 Cox (Male) minor ¾ hour 151 Manchester Road 25th June
8415 Viscount Heath 2 weeks 2 Western Street 1st July
8423 Amelia Ann Hewer 14 days 118 Chapel Street 8th July
8436 Godfrey Smart 3 days 48 Albion Street 18th July
8467 Dobson (Female) 2 days 3 Stanier Street 11th August
8476 Ivy Price ½ hour 4 Argyle Street 17th August
8487 Leslie Gordon Ralph 7 days 58 Manchester Road 29th August
8511 Sandling (Female) 7 hours 201 Rodbourne Road 15th September
8536 (female) Leach 1½ 19 Cricklade Road 11th October
8545 Emily Florence Morris 3 days 49 Kingshill Road 18th October
8549 George John Spencer 1 month 50 Newport Street 19th October
8551 Edith Ellen Wait 1 day 128 Ferndale Road 19th October
8552 Leslie Slatter 18 hours 42 Goddard Avenue 19th October
8564 Nellie Fagan 7 hours 121 Beatrice Street 26th October
8572 Leonard Pitman 2 days 16 Kitchener Street 29th October
8591 Nellie Tarrant 4 hours 23 Jennings Street 5th November
8597 John Romans 3 days 18 Edmund Street 11th November
8602 (male) Dowse 5 min 70 Edinburgh Street 14th November
8632 Philip Arthur Nash 19 days 3 Sanford Street 28th November
8657 Albert Scutts 3 weeks 10 Albion Terrace 7th December
8660 Gladys Marcia Dowers 19 days 28 Hughes Street 7th December
8667 Edith Fanny Peters 1 month 89 Medgbury Road 8th December
8690 Mary Ludlow 3 days 11 Prospect Hill 15th December
8697 Agnes Blackford 3 days 14 Cambridge Bridge Road 16th December
8704 Andrew John Scutts 1 month 10 Albion Terrace Canal side 19th December (twin of Albert)
8711 Phyllis Irene Clarice Aldridge 1 month 17 Clifton Street 23 December
8712 Herbert Merrett 1 month 43 Deburgh Street 24th December
1905
8748 Joseph Selwood 14 days 12 Avening Street 17th January
8755 Maud Philpott 18 days 28 Dean Street 18th January
8756 Gwendoline North 10 days 42 Avenue Road 18th January
8759 May Manners 7 days 12 Harding Street 20th January
8764 George Jas. Manners 9 days 12 Harding Street 24th January
8770 Elsie May Adams 5 days 120 Rosebery Street 27th January
8787 Frederick Charles Lloyd 1 day 64 Birch Street 3rd February
8791 (male) Mansfield 11 days 6 Bathampton Street 7th January
8794 Samuel Robert Smith 3 days 56 Manchester Road 8th February
8797 Sidney James Moody 1 month 95 Albion Street 11th February
8808 David George Moody 1 month 95 Albion Street 17th February (twins)
8812 Valentine Ellen 3 days 95 Dean Street 20th February
8813 Ernest Frederick Simpson 15 days 32 Kent Road 21st February
8820 Frederick George Ovens 3 days 50 Winifred Street 25th February
8846 Harold Norman Hunt 1 month 31 Gloucester Street 16th March
8856 Mary Lowes 3 days 26 Goddard Avenue 23th March
8888 Thomas Clifford 6 days 30 Western Street 18th April 1905
8890 Benjamin Rowland 3 days 16 Colbourne Street 19th April 1905
8922 Walter Thornbury 3 days 15 Ponting Street 8th May
8923 *Nellie Elizabeth Violet Drane 1 month 7 King William Street 8th May
8925 Sarah Ethel Jackson 1 day 58 Whiteman Street 9th May
8945 Violet Taylor 17 days 51 Albion Street 20th May
8951 Bertha Penny 2 days 6 Deburgh Street 29th May
8964 Ralph Bowditch 21 days 109 Edinburgh Street 3rd June
8967 Ada May Lecombe 4 days 87 Eastcott Hill 5th June
8975 Martha Clara Howlett 7 days 13 Catherine Street 14th June
8978 Phoebe Lilian Instrall 26 days 63 Albion Street 17th June
8996 Alice Mulcahy 13 days 16 Regent Place 6th July
8998 (male) Whale 12 hours 9 Morley Street 6th July
9003 Adelaide Smith Illegitimate child of Emily Smith 10 days 13 Henry Street 8th July
9004 Eva Scutts 5 minutes 48 Avenue Street 8th July
9005 Rose Green 4 hours 115 Westlecott Place 11th July
9015 Edward Wellavoys 4 days 151 Edinburgh Street 18th July
9016 Lester Nuttall 3 days 14 Salisbury Street 19th July
9022 George Sandling 11 hours 201 Rodbourne Road 25th July
9031 Mary Edna Bessie Mathews day 20 Dover Street 1st August
9039 Gladys Mary Poulding Illegitimate child of Ada May Poulding 1 month 51 Winifred Street 5th August
9040 Albert Daniels 1 day 16 Avening Street 5th August
9051 William Ivor Blewett 2 hours 188 Beatrice Street 16th August
9060 Rose Holmes 1 hour 15 Elmina Road 21st August
9062 Emily Lang 2 days 27 Medgbury Road 22nd August
9065 Eveline Clifton 3 weeks 129 Beatrice Street 23rd August
9068 Harry Lavin 3 hours 45 Avening Street 25th August
9080 Stewart Murray son of William Edward and Mercy Murray 1 day 24 Crombey Street 5th September
9082 Phylis Mary Rogers daughter of Harry and Nellie Rogers 14 days 214 Ferndale Road 6th September 1905
9086 male child found in Wilts & Berks Canal age not known place where death occurred not know 12th September
9118 James Barnes son of Henry & Harriett Barnes 8 days 109 Chapel Street 7th October
9126 Ines Palandre son of – Palandre 3 days 54 Wellington Street 13th October
9127a Ruby Hallwell daughter of Albert & Kate Hallwell 9 days 184 Cricklade Road 17th October
9129 William Baker son of Walter Ernest & Alice Bake 5 minutes 19 Tennyson Street 18th October
9136 May Hallwell daughter of Albert & Kate Hallwell 11 days 184 Cricklade Road 19th October (twin sister of Ruby Hallwell)
9143 John Lewington 7 days 91 Bright Street 25th October

So many babies! How did their mothers cope? No counselling in those days.
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Hi Di – heartbreaking. And this is only one of several large plots and numerous smaller ones.
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