The lost Chorlton gravestones ……. discover their stories today .... in the Bowling Green Hotel at midday

History hasn’t been kind to those buried in our churchyard.

Just fifty years ago there were still 362 gravestones which marked the lives and deaths of the individuals and families who had lived in Chorlton since the mid-18th century.

They were a mixed bunch, from the great and wealthy to farmers, shopkeepers, traders, and agricultural workers.

Some died in infancy others in childbirth and yet more lived on into old age surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

Our own local historian Thomas Ellwood drew on the recollections of some of the older residents in 1885 to write a series of articles about the township. 

And because those he spoke to drew on the memories of their parents and grandparents we are back to the time when the old King George lost the American colonies.

Many of the families who lay here were old Chorlton families who had lived in the township for centuries, and some of their descendants are still here, while others moved in over the course of the last 200 years.  These newcomers challenge the accepted convention that until the mid-19th century people seldom moved far from where they were born.

But their stories are now under threat, as their gravestones deteriorate and the inscriptions of who they were begin to vanish.

Already most of the 362 gravestones have been lost, discarded when the graveyard had its makeover in the 1980s.

The remaining handful have suffered from being used as a pathway through the site and the constant footfall is wearing away their names, and much more.

Added to which few are now where they were originally placed.

Happily we do have a record of the original inscriptions of all 362 grave stones which was undertaken in 1975.

But already some had become undecipherable.

Still enough were recorded which allows us in conjunction with the parish records and census records and other historical material to start to tell their stories.

Sadly the surviving few need some tender care and attention.

To this end a “Friends” group has been formed to look to saving what is left, maintain the churchyard and think about how this unique piece of history can be preserved and remain a peaceful place of contemplation.

So today, Andrew Simpson and Peter Topping will share some of the graveyard’s history and thoughts on how the Friends can work together to enhance the place.

Meet at the Bowling Green at mid-day today.

Location Bowling Green Hotel

Pictures; Chorlton graveyard, 2008, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and  the Register of Grave Inscriptions, City Engineer and Surveyor, 1975