Tag: public grave

Frederick Leonard Hayes – the reveal

I’ve often stopped at this beautiful little memorial discovered by Bex last November.

On our recent seed scattering exercise, Bex and I paused here and wondered if there might be an inscription we were both missing. Using a cloth she carefully rubbed a handful of loose earth across the stone and as if by magic an inscription began to appear. We could soon see the name of Frederick Leonard Hayes who died in 1890 aged 15 months, eldest son of Joseph and Teresa – enough information for me to begin researching when I got home.

In 1891, the year after Frederick’s death, I found his parents living at 63 Prospect where Joseph worked as a Master Stone Mason. Joseph and Teresa left Swindon soon after this and ten years later, at the time of the 1901 census they were living in Shrewsbury with their younger son Bernard, where they remained for the rest of their lives.

But there is something special about little Frederick’s memorial. The grave is a public one that Frederick shares with two other children; four year old Maud Mary Young who died around the same time as Frederick in 1890 and Dorothy Ann Cowley, a 5 month old baby girl who died in 1905 – 15 years after Frederick.

It is most unusual to discover a memorial on a public grave. I wonder when Frederick’s family were given permission to install it and whether Joseph, the master stone mason, made it himself.

William Hulbert and the lost headstone

How is it possible to lose a headstone, especially such a striking one as this?

I took this photograph about fifteen years ago, but when I recently decided to update my records, I couldn’t find it. It once stood proud and very obvious in a area of Section C where there are few other headstones. How was it that I just couldn’t find it anymore?

This headstone, with it’s symbolic entrance to eternity, has a very interesting history. The plot was first established as a public grave for the burial of infants. The first child buried here was Ethel Louisa Marsh, just three months old when she was buried on October 18, 1897. All that can be discovered about this baby (without purchasing her death certificate) is the address her death was registered at in the burial registers – 34 Avenue Road. Just five days later Edith May Burgess, aged one month old was buried here. Again, all that can be discovered (without a death certificate) is the address in the burial registers at which her death was registered – 11 Carfax Road.

The two babies lay undisturbed for more than thirty years until Joan Edna Hulbert was buried here on January 9, 1934 and just days later Molly Gwendolen Dodson on January 25, 1934. Molly was eight months old, the daughter of Edwin and Ivy Dodson who in 1934 were living at 48 Percy Street, Rodbourne.

There are still a few gaps in my reasearch and it is not known at what point the Hulbert’s decided to purchase the grave.

Both William George Hulbert and his wife Beatrice Alice Shepherd would appear to have been born and raised in London. They married in the Lambeth registration district in the June quarter of 1921. By 1934 they were living at 54 Exmouth Street, Swindon where little Joan Edna died that year aged 2 years old. William died in 1960 aged 65. His last home address was 27 Beckhampton Street. Beatrice died more than 20 years later at St Margaret’s Hospital, Ridgeway House, Wootton Bassett.

But, thankfully, this distinctive headstone has not disappeared completely, as I discovered when armed with a cemetery I went exploring. A seedling has sprouted through the opening and toppled the whole thing over while grass has grown up and covered the kerbstone. If there are any family members still living in Swindon who would like to help restore the headstone, we’d love to hear from you.