Found the burial place of Freda WOODCOCK at Woore Churchyard, but not able to locate the grave / plot number layout of cemetery. On the burial record from Shropshire Archives it says T.G 1st Intern then name etc. I have contacted the Church but they can't find records for 1936 Regards Marjorie
Hello Marjorie and David
I am sure we would all be very pleased if all graves had an identifying marker and reference number so they could be located but the real world just isn't like that. The placing of a grave stone has always been the responsibility of the family and where the cost of the actual funeral and burial has made a severe dent in their financial resources the idea of paying for a grave stone is probably a fairly low priority compared to eating and paying the rent.
I can't quote any figures as to how many people have erected grave stones on family graves historically but would perhaps offer 33% as a starting point. Having looked at many burial registers it is the exception if they include a reference for the grave plot. Modern cemeteries (post mid 1800's) may well be better since the graves have been arranged in a grid system.
Ultimately I don't think Marjorie is going to be able to locate her relatives grave but she may be able to work out which part of the burial ground it is located in. If she purchases the transcript of the gravestones and then looks at all those who were buried just before and just after her relative it MAY be possible to establish some sort of pattern unless consecutive burials took place all over the churchyard. This strategy relies on the possibility that others being buried about the same time actually paid for a grave stone which can identify them. It is certainly worth a try.
Mike
Hello David and Mike
Thank you for your replies, the Church has now found the records, they have memorial inscriptions for 1831-1989 but Freda is not listed there. I am now waiting for the person who deals with these record to come back off holiday and check her maiden name of Pugh for she may have been buried in a family grave. We are now wondering if T.G. On the death certificate stands for triple grave, her parents died after her so they might have bought the triple grave when she died. It is very frustrating to get this far but not be able to pin point the exact grave.
I am now going to try both your suggestions I live in the Scottish Borders so it will be a while before I can have a look round the churchyard.
Regards and thank you
Marjorie
Hello David and Mike,
A very kind lady from SFHS searched the MIs in Woore for me 2 months ago and as you can see below Freda Woodcock is not listed ,that's why I sent for her death certificate and then went on to search Stoke Hartshill and all over the place. I bought a copy of the burial record which says she IS buried in Woore, 3rd Nov 1936, is there two cemetery's in Woore ?
I just can't understand why she isn't on any of the records (Church Records St Leonards in particular should I would have thought have proper records not MIs )
I have ordered the MIs for Woore according to the online database there are no surnames of Pugh but there is for Dunn so that will be interesting.
Not giving up yet
Regards
Marjorie
Hello Marjorie
Thanks for your enquiry. I have checked the microfiche for MIs in Woore but have not found Freda. The MIs for St Leonards, Woore are from 1831 to 1989. The stones must be very worn as some of the dates are unclear but I would think they are in the 1800s. In case they are ancestors, here are the entries:
From the index:
John A2, A3
Margaret A1
Mary A2
Nancy D30
Robert A3(2)
D30 Nancy Woodcock, died September 11th 1981, aged 71
A2 Mary Woodcock, daughter of John Woodcock, died April **, ****
A1 Margaret Woodcock, late of Gravenhunger, died May 20th **8*, aged 91, also daughter of the above who died April 16th, ****
A3 Robert Woodcock, died January 16th 1835, aged 81/ John Woodcock of Woore, died February 26th 1865, aged 77/ Robert Woodcock, son of John Woodcock, died July 23rd 1835, aged 18.
Do you have an address for Freda or, better still, a death certificate?
Regards
SFHS Enquiries
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Hello Marjorie
Very pleased you have located Freda's burial to St Leonard's Woore. And, thanks also for the feedback on your earlier post, which is always appreciated.
Quite amazed at the claim that the Church is unable to find the appropriate records. Surely they are obliged under both Church and State law, to maintain detailed plans and such records. How else can they identify and where necessary, open the correct one in cases where a subsequent burial by the family is allowed by the deeds (or rare cases where an exhumation is required)? Wonder if they are also obliged to copy such to the Diocesan OffIce (Lichfield)?
The following web site (you may have seen): http://places.wishful-thinking.org.uk/SAL/Woore/MIs.html has MI's from the Churchyard, but the details unfortunately don't help you in this case. I suspect that listing might be confined to those graves surrounding the Church building and not the larger rectangular cemetery area behind. Am not local (based in north Cheshire), but merely relied on "Google Earth" to reach that conclusion.
This SFHS website search (top blue bar "Online Databases" > "Monumental Inscriptions" > searchbar "Woodcock") brings up (last entry) Woore grave references for Woodcock at: A1, A2, A3 and D30. You might consider purchasing the MI Booklet (see "Shop" > "Publications Catalogue" > scroll down to page 28). A copy I purchased for another churchyard, contained not only very useful details of grave inscriptions, some now no longer legible, but a map showing the positions of each with their corresponding reference numbers. Could be worth e-mailing Ruth Wilford at: copies@sfhs.org.uk to check. Hope you find the exact location and can visit when weather better. Appreciate you coming back with further progress.
Regards,
David