This week I catch up with Deceased Online's new collections and summarize what's currently available to help locate ancestors who died in Norfolk
Above: headstones around the ruins of a church at Tunstall
My personal Norfolk family history stretches back centuries. The surnames in this branch of my tree include Pymer, Oxorough, Betts, and Feetham - names common in this region in the Middle Ages when the county grew rich from the textile trade. Bordering Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, this East Anglian county was one of the most highly populated and prosperous parts of England in the Middle Ages. By the end of the 16th century, its cathedral city of Norwich was the second largest in England. Norfolk's economic significance was already in decline by the time of the Industrial Revolution in which it played little part. Railways arrived late. The county remains largely rural, with many of its churches and historic buildings well-preserved. During the First and Second World Wars, the county became home to several air bases and, sadly, its cemeteries became lasting homes to many airmen. Currently, Deceased Online's Norfolk collections date from the 17th century, with most records from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Grave of Erminio William Louis Marchesi, founder of the Round Table, in Earlham Cemetery (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_grave_of_Louis_Marchesi.JPG)
Researching Norfolk ancestors using the Deceased Online database is straightforward. A general name search often takes you straight to the record you want.
However, you can also use a targetted approach, searching for the nearest cemetery or church yard to your deceased ancestor's home or place of death. In these cases, it is useful to know exactly what Deceased Online has available and where your ancestors are most likely to be found in its collections.
Most of the records here are for burial or crematorium registers from graveyards, cemeteries, or crematoria. There are two sets of records contained in the lists from The National Archives' records of graves and tombstones that have been removed from disused and closed burial grounds and cemeteries have "TNA" next to them in brackets.
However, you can also use a targetted approach, searching for the nearest cemetery or church yard to your deceased ancestor's home or place of death. In these cases, it is useful to know exactly what Deceased Online has available and where your ancestors are most likely to be found in its collections.
Most of the records here are for burial or crematorium registers from graveyards, cemeteries, or crematoria. There are two sets of records contained in the lists from The National Archives' records of graves and tombstones that have been removed from disused and closed burial grounds and cemeteries have "TNA" next to them in brackets.
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| Image is taken from page 87 of 'Sun Pictures of the Norfolk Broads. By Payne Jennings. With letterpess description by E. R. Suffling. (Third edition.)' |
The main collection is from Norwich City Council. These records available comprise digital scans of a mix of burial, grave, and index registers, section maps showing the area in which the grave is located, and details of other occupants in the grave.
There is also our Norfolk Cemeteries Photographs Collection. This vast photography collection of Norfolk cemeteries was taken by Norfolk resident, Louise Cocker. Dating from the 17th century, 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.
The above photograph is from St Ethelbert Churchyard in Alby, Norfolk. You can find the transcription on the Deceased Online database).
Norfolk
Norwich - Earlham Cemetery
Norwich - Earlham Cemetery
Norwich - Rosary Cemetery
Norwich - St Paul’s Church and Churchyard, Norwich [TNA]
Norwich - St Paul’s Church and Churchyard, Norwich [TNA]
Norwich - St Benedict's Church and Churchyard, Norwich [TNA]
Norfolk Cemeteries Photograph Collection
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