British Cemetery and Cremation Records from Deceased Online

In line with government guidance on combatting the Covid-19 virus, cemeteries across the UK have closed until further notice Notice on the gate of Highgate Cemetery West Following advice from the government, many councils and cemetery management companies across the country have closed their cemeteries until further notice. This is in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. In these difficult times, it can be upsetting for those who can no longer visit the graves of their loved ones.  Some cemeteries remain open for burials, while others are offering to place flowers and other mementoes on graves while the gates remain closed to visitors. Highgate Cemetery posted the following on its website on 23 March 2020: VISITING We are very sorry to say that the closure also includes grave owners visiting their graves. We are committed to supporting  new government rules on staying at home . These give only four permissible reasons for leaving the house, and our rea...

Deceased Online  completes the  Cheshire East Orbitas  collection with the addition of Alderley Edge, Knutsford, and Wilmslow Cemeteries.   Above: the stone Druid's circle at Alderley Edge Alderley Edge, Knutsford, and Wilmslow in Cheshire are all areas of rich and diverse history, with many local legends, listed buildings, and traditions. Alderley Edge  has been occupied since the Mesolithic period. Flint implements have been found in the area, and nearby there is evidence of Bronze Age copper mining. In 1995 the Derbyshire Caving Club found a collection of Roman coins dating from AD 317 to AD 336. The name Alderley appeared in 1086 as 'Aldredelie'. "The Edge" is a wide red sandstone escarpment situated above the village and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. Above: Mines at Alderley Edge Knutsford  is well known for its  Royal May Day festival , an event in which hundreds of people parade through the streets and the May Q...

Ian Kevin Curtis  (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980)  Memorial for Ian Curtis in Macclesfield Cemetery Macclesfield Crematorium sits in the grounds of the cemetery. Opened in 1960, the crematorium was originally the cemetery's non-conformist chapel. It overlooks the wooded Whitfield Brook valley. This side of the Garden of Remembrance is tiered with paths passing through a peaceful arboretum of trees and shrubs. The Garden of Remembrance is arguably most famous for providing the final resting place of Ian Curtis, the lead singer and lyricist of the band Joy Division, after his tragic suicide in 1980. Curtis was born in Stretford, Lancashire, but grew up in Macclesfield. He did well at school, developed a keen interest in music, philosophy, and poetry, and received several scholastic awards. Ian Curtis, along with Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Terry Mason formed a band named Warsaw, after a song by David Bowie. Warsaw was subsequently renamed to Joy Division in 1978, a...

This week, I continue the series of posts on Macclesfield Cemetery by honouring two local military heroes  George Eardley VC George Harold Eardley VC MM (6 May 1912 - 11 September 1991) was an Acting Sergeant  of the 4th battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry,   and recipient of the Military Medal, when he risked his life in the face of the enemy  in October 1944. At the time, Eardley was just  32 years old  and serving east of Overloon in the Netherlands.  His platoon was ordered to clear enemy opposition from orchards, thus clearing the way for the Allied tanks to advance. However, 80 yards from their objective, automatic machine gun fire swiftly halted their advance. Eardley dodged heavy fire to get close enough to one machine gun post to kill the enemy officer with a grenade, and then went on to destroy two more posts single-handed. His actions enabled his platoon to complete their objective and ensured the success of their whole a...

More records are added to the Cheshire East Collection (1861-2015) on the Deceased Online database.  Deceased Online has expanded it  Cheshire East Collection  with records from the historic Macclesfield Cemetery and Crematorium . The records are now available to view on  t he database . The cemetery is run by  Orbitas , a company owned by Cheshire East Council, Macclesfield Cemetery is a beautiful Victorian burial ground first opened in 1866. The site includes a Grade II listed Neo-Gothic chapel, which is now used as office space. Macclesfield Crematorium was opened in 1960 in the building that was formerly the Non-Conformist Chapel. Macclesfield Cemetery and Crematorium The records comprise scans of the original burial and cremation registers, and details of those buried in the same grave in the cemetery. Other  Cheshire East  cemeteries and crematoria available to view on Deceased Online include: Congleton Cemetery Coppenhall Cemetery...

This week's blog features tips on how to get the most out of the Deceased Online database We hope you are finding the new collections on the  database  useful for your family history research.  Thank you very much to all those who have emailed or  tweeted . We really appreciate your comments and would like to respond with some up-to-date tips on getting the best from the  Deceased Online website . Advanced Search Facility To narrow searches down to an area or to a specific cemetery or crematorium use the advanced search facility.  For example, to search records in Sandwell, select the following: Country - United Kingdom Region - West Midlands County -  West Midlands Contributor - Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (for all Sandwell records) or Cemetery - Uplands (for Uplands only) Once you click on a name in the search results it will show the information that is available to view.  Search Results Common types of info...

We are very excited to add two more cemeteries to our Sandwell Collection from the West Midlands Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery (Image by Brianboru100 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25968898)  In 2015, we launched our   Sandwell Collection , representing cemeteries in the Black Country. The collection initially consisted of t hree of the West Midland's largest cemeteries: Heath Lane Cemetery,  West Bromwich , B71 3HR (records from 1858) Oldbury Cemetery,  Smethwick , B66 1QT (records from 1858) Tipton  Cemetery, Alexandra Road, Tipton , DY4 7NP (records from 1873: some records were lost during the war. If your relations were buried between April 18th 1899 and July 18th 1908 or August 24th 1911 and August 20th 1915 there is an index record that they were buried in Tipton Cemetery but it is not possible to establish their address, date of death, age or the grave where they were actually buried, or with whom ...