The date above is a very important anniversary for the cemetery. At an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) of the Board some momentous decisions were made. This took place on the 19th of February immediately before the first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the proprietors of the cemetery. That is the stockholders who owned the cemetery land.
Joint Stock
It perhaps is a good time to explain how the cemetery was run. This was via a mechanism known as a joint stock company. This method was organised in this way. A group of people would buy shares in a prospect or company and by buying these shares those people would actually own the project they bought shares in. The amount of the project they owned depended upon the amount of shares they bought. They exercised this power via the AGM. However the Cemetery Company was run by the Board of Directors who were voted in at the AGM.
The minute books entries
Which is why the anniversary of the EGM on the 19th February 1847 was so important. Here’s the item in the minute books.
Here’s part of the transcript of the above as I know that reading such writing can be tiring.
‘for the purpose of considering the expediency of at once proceeding with the erection of the entrance lodge and gates, as also with the church and catacombs and the best mode of arranging the latter.’
The following page outlined what the Board wanted.
And here, once again, is a transcription of the above.
‘That Mr Broderick be forthwith instructed to prepare (for consideration by the Board) an amended design for the church so as to embrace two places for divine service with catacombs underneath and also for the entrance lodge and the gates and palisades connected there with – the whole of the expense being limited to £3000.’ The Catacombs of Hull General Cemetery
Today’s cost
So £3000 for the Lodge, the Chapel, the Catacombs and the gates and fencing of the Cemetery. Not bad. Of course there has been a bit of inflation since then. A good website called Measuring Worth gives us a rough guide to how much £3000 in 1847 was worth today. http://Measuringworth.com Today that sum would be £280,300. Still not a large amount in my opinion but of course the labour costs would then have been so much less than today.
The anniversary of this decision could be said to have given the structures of the Cemetery their lives. Sadly, most of these have gone and we are left with only the three of the gates and a small remainder of the walls. The Catacombs of Hull General Cemetery These are now grade two listed with Historic England which provides a measure of protection now. What a pity the rest was lost.
Pete Lowden is a member of the Friends of Hull General Cemetery committee which is committed to reclaiming the cemetery and returning it back to a community resource.