Memorial photographs from 90 Norfolk Cemeteries

Deceased Online is excited to announce the beginning of a large project with the release of memorial photographs from 90 Norfolk cemeteries on the database 

Above: headstones around the ruins of a church at Tunstall

Deceased Online has this week begun uploading images to its website from a vast photography collection of Norfolk cemeteries taken by Norfolk resident, Louise Cocker. 

The first set of images includes images from 90 cemeteries and churchyards. This is a total of over 10,000 photographs. The photographs exist as a valuable record of headstones and memorials that are constantly being eroded by weather and time.

Louise has been photographing the headstones and memorials of Norfolk with her mother, Angela, since 2009. She told us, "It's something I am very passionate about as I think it is important for future generations to be able to see where their ancestors are buried." 

Above: many Victorian headstones were beautifully elaborate

Dating from the 17th century, the collection comprises thousands of photographs of headstones, memorials, plaques, and war dedications. Many of the older inscriptions contain a lot of information valuable to historians and family researchers, such as the lineage and names of surviving children of the deceased:

Here under resteth the body of ye worthy and religious lady Elizabeth Pettus, 

daughter of Sir Thomas Pettus of Aswelthorpe, Knight, and of Elizabeth, 

one of ye daughters and coheires of Sir Nathaniel Bacon of Stifkay, Knight, 

and late wife of Sir Thomas Pettus of Rackheath, Baronett, who deceased Jan:28:1653, 

and left 3 surviving sonnes Thomas, Augustine, and John.

As the headstones used as the basis for this collection date back centuries and many have eroded over time, parts can be difficult to transcribe. Inscriptions on some of these monuments may be illegible, or only readable in part. Thus Deceased Online recommends searching the database using a percentage symbol (%) in place of a surname or forename - this will bring up all names, including those recorded as unreadable.

The full list of the first 90 Norfolk cemeteries to be uploaded is as follows:

Cemetery Name	Number of Images
Alby	131
Attlebridge	95
Aylmerton	326
Baconsthorpe	201
Bagthorpe	52
Bale cemetery	179
Banningham	199
Bawdeswell	174
Beeston St Lawrence	115
Belaugh Cemetery	24
Bessingham	80
Billingford (Nr Dereham)	198
Billockby	37
Blickling Cemetery	390
Booton	129
Bradfield	123
Brampton	149
Brandiston	67
Brinningham	170
Brisley	227
Burgh Castle Cemetery	76
Burgh Near Aylesham	87
Colby	200
Colney Norwich	138
Cromer Cemetery	196
Docking cemetery	31 B27
Dunton	84
East Rudsham	111
Felbrigg	137
Fulmodeston	76
Gately	72
Glandford	86
Great Hautbois (St Theobald)	87
Gunton	57
Haveringland	113
Hempstead nr Holt	143
Hoe	136
Houghton St Giles	106
Ingworth	146
Little Barningham	87
Little Witchingham	23
Mannington	16
Metton	81
Morton	76
Newton by Castle Acre	79
North Barsham	66
North Walsham Quakers Cemetery	22
Old Catton Cemetery	133
Oulton	224
Oxnead	65
Oxwick	27
Plumstead	96
RAF Coltishall	222
Reepham & Kerdiston Cemetery	83
Ridlington	125
Rougham	186
Runhall	118
Salle	190
Sco Ruston	55
Sharrington	134
Sherford	82
Smallburgh	229
Southwood	13
St Faiths cemetery	213
Stanfield	150
Stibbard	252
Stody	113
Sustead	112
Swafield	139
Swannington	172
Tatterford	101
Themelthorpe	52
Thurgarton	125
Thurning	152
Thursford	74
Thuxton	104
Thwaite	104
Tunstall Ruins	36
Tuttington	141
Walsingham Guild of All Souls	11
Walsingham Methodist	9
Walsingham Roman Catholic Shrine	139
Walsingham Shrine of Our Lady	93
Walsingham The Annunciation	12
Warham All Saints	158
Warham St Mary	154
Waterden	39
Welbourne	190
West Barsham	66
West Beckham (Ruins)	113
Wood Dalling	241

Do you have ancestors buried in a Norfolk churchyard? We would love to hear about your East Anglian forebears, their lives, occupations and families. Do let us know about them in the Comments Box below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.