Bone Yard

because brum over the years has found a need to pull down and rebuild and some bone yards(grave yards) have been move i wonder if any one knows what or where they replanted the bones what bone yards have gone and where is the oldest bone yard in brum

I know they found several bones in st martins in the bull ring.

Not sure what they did with them.

I do know that human bones were found outside St. Phillips Church yard. Beween the Churchyard and Rackhams. this is because part of the Churchyard border was moved inwards. The remains were re buried as another funeral by Church people. I would imagine this is common practice. SB

Paul

I've always thought that Key Hill Cemetery in Hockley was Birmingham's oldest public cemetery. I'm sure there are loads more older churchyard cemeteries about. I think that the site of St Martins would probably lay claim to this dating back to I think the 13th century.

I have to be honest I don't know where they transferred the burials to on this latest but I think there has been at least one previous occasion when some where moved. I'll try to find out more.

Phil

Wasn't there something on tv a few (like 10 or so) years ago where it showed digging at the edge of St Phi;;ips (it might have been timeteam) ?i can't remember if they found any bones
Mike

I don't know about st Phillips Mike.

I have a book about when they rebuilt the bullring and I think some info is in that,think phil has the same book,will check it out

Mike

I remember recently reading a book about the recent and earlier re interments. I have just been looking for it, but I can't seem to find it. Which leads me to believe I might have borrowed it or it might even have been a library book. I'll have to see what I can find out about it.

Phil

old bone yards me thinks that if you think about it brums been a place to live and work for a long time it may not be as old has london but it goes back a far old way and even in them days folk past on not to far from me at alvechurch there is a lane that runs out in to the wilds but down there is big pit that they dumped bodies from the plague black death or small pox from brum so me thinks there has got to be old bone yard in brum at least 900 years old

Yardley Parish Church, Is I believe dating back to the 13th Century in it's present form. It was said to have been there when Columbus discovered America. There is a good website on it may give more clues. This Church is a beautiful Building and is well worth a visit. Just around the corner (5 mins walk) is Blakesley hall museum. A fine old house with tea rooms. SB

the book on the St martins excavations states that the remains that could be identified were buried at a service in May 2003 in a vault at St martins. those that could not be identified were buried at Quinton cemetery
mike

I also think sorehole mill and area is very old . When Tolkein wrote his stories he had bsed that on sarehole and local ares thats why they called it middle earth. I read all this info whilst trying to find old grave stones of brum.
colin

Colin

I suppose you have checked out the old gravestones next to your old school. Laid flat on the ground in what was once the graveyard of St James the Lesser in Barrack St?

Phil

phil
I havnt checked them for years.
In devon street next to the old devon street school can you remember the big tin roofed buildings. They were derelict in the 1960s but i went into them to play when i was little and they still had loads of those metal beds . But to this day i have never found out what they were built for .
colin

Colin

If you are talking about St Annes School in Devon St. Originally Duddeston House owned by the Galton Family. When they moved out it became a lunatic asylum before it was a school. Perhaps these beds were left over from then, perhaps even troops were billetted there during the war.

Phil

Hi phil yes it was the school but in 1964 it was called devon st primary school and the assembly hall was at the side of the school not attached. Further up the hill past the assembly hall was were all the barracks were .you couldnt see them fro the street.
colin