Category: Volunteers

The Sycamore

by Pete Lowdenin Volunteers, Wildlife

A few years ago I found this article about Sycamores. I remembered it when there was some argument about the balance between environmental concerns and heritage aspects of the site. I was constantly being told that only native plants should be in the cemetery. Non-native species would harm the delicate eco-balance.

When I pointed out to those people that the Sycamore was not a native tree, was a poor habitat for insects and birds and was effectively smothering out the remaining native trees I was met with silence and dismissed. Par for the course I suppose. It was probably deemed ‘Fake News’ in the parlance of today. Anyway I let it pass but the information in the article is too relevant to the present state of the cemetery to forget about so here’s the piece. See what you think.

Council recognition of the problem

When discussing this issue with the Council officers I said that 85% of the trees on the site were Sycamore to which they agreed and they also thought it was a problem. I asked whether a ‘cut and replace’ system could be instigated. This would be that a sycamore could be cut down and replaced with a native tree. They were honest and said the Council could not afford it and they were glad that the FOHGC were doing what they could in this area.

‘Controlling the Invader’

CONTROLLING THE INVADER by Pierre Binggeli published in Tree News Autumn 1994, 14-15.

In Britain sycamore has been the source of much debate based chiefly on people’s personal biases for or against the species rather than on factual evidence. This is not restricted to sycamore but applies to many invasive plant species (e.g. rhododendron) and often result from a poor understanding of ecology and more importantly, from the transfer of human values to plants (Binggeli 1994). In Tree News (summer 1993) Morton Boyd wrote about the pros and cons of sycamore in nature conservation and, having investigated the biology and ecology of sycamore over the past 15 years, I have reached similar conclusions (Binggeli 1992, 1993a). However, my own research and an extensive literature search has brought to light many references and relevant information not available to Morton Boyd.

Origin

Although some people believe sycamore to be native (eg, Harris 1987), both ecological and historical evidence support the view that the species was introduced around the fifteenth century, although a Roman introduction cannot be excluded (wood said to be sycamore has been found at Langton Villa). The native range of sycamore does not extend as far as the Channel, the North Sea or Atlantic coast, but its introduction and spread has been recorded throughout the coastal areas from Brittany to Norway.

The first British records of sycamore originate from Scotland. In 1842 a tree near Dunblane was described as 440 years old. In The Protocol Book of James Young a reference is made to a plane tree growing in the Garden of Sir Andrew Wood of Largo in 1497. Although the tree could have been an Oriental Plane, there is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that it was a sycamore. Trees called Siccamour or sicamour, which can be seen in illustrations to be sycamore, grew near Paris. Sir Andrew Wood, who was an important Leith sea captain, frequently traded along the same estuary near Paris and it would have been easy for him to bring a siccamour home to Leith. (S. Mowat 1993, pers. comm.).

PERCEPTION

In Britain people’s attitude towards sycamore has always been ambivalent. In the fifteenth century Evelyn (in Johns 1847) stated that sycamore should be banished from gardens and avenues because its honeydew-coated leaves which, after their fall, turned to mucilage and putrefied, whereas Johns (1847) considered sycamore to be “somewhat of a favourite”. In the late nineteenth century sycamore, because of its non-durable wood, was “often regarded as a weed among forest-trees and rigorously cut down” although its timber was highly valued (Simpson 1905). The prevalence of sycamore around farmsteads in the western parts of the British Isles indicate that during the nineteenth century farmers favoured the species, which is poorly recorded in the literature, but a certain amount of plant lore has been documented (Binggeli 1993b).

During the present century sycamore drew little attention until around the 1960s when the people’s attitude became at first negative, and more recently positive. Its low associated insect species-richness, invasive potential, prolific regeneration in urban areas and heavy honeydew production gave sycamore a poor reputation. Lately, sycamore has been extensively praised.

FORESTRY

In forestry sycamore will probably become an important timber tree in lowland Britain as agricultural land is converted to timber production. Trials are presently being carried out to assess sycamore in agroforestry systems. The Forestry Authority is currently selecting and propagating sycamore but their selection procedure is mainly based on general tree morphology, particularly of the trunk and large branches.

Because variation in sycamore is extensive the potential for selection and breeding is very high but not fully appreciated by researchers. The following traits are known to be very variable: budding time, age of first flowering, sex expression, seed production, susceptibility to aphids, and wood quality (eg, wavy-grain), all of which significantly affect tree morphology and/or growth rates. By carefully selecting these variable it should be possible to produce clones of fast growing and high quality timber sycamore.

INVASIVENESS

Sycamore invades different types of woodlands in the British Isles including birch, ash, alder and oak woods and many disturbed sites. However, the speed of invasion is usually slow because the conditions suitable for sycamore regeneration only occur at irregular intervals despite a regular seed production. Rootlet penetration following germination is prevented by compacted and dry soils. Young individuals are intolerant of grass competition and are susceptible to fungal attack and to grazing either by slugs and/or small rodents, whilst saplings are grazed by large herbivores.

The respective importance of these controlling factors is affected by light availability, soil nutrients and weather (chiefly rainfall). In fact, sycamore can be described as a gap species, which becomes established in treefall gaps, heavily disturbed areas, or under the canopy of low shade-casting species such as birch, sea buckthorn and alder.

CONSERVATION VALUE

Sycamore is known to have few associated insect species and an average number of epiphytic lichens. For short periods of time it is an important food source for some species of invertebrates (eg, bees) and vertebrates (eg, rodents). Observations by Frankis (1993 pers. comm.) suggest that insects in the flaking bark of old sycamore on the eastern coast of England are an important source of food for some migrating birds.

A high number of breeding birds are found in sycamore stands as long as the stand consist of a mosaic of isolated trees and shrubs but not of a continuous canopy. A complete sycamore canopy markedly reduces light levels and ground species-richness in the woodlands it invades. There is no substantiated evidence that sycamore improves the soil. In case of climate warming the sooty bark disease could become a health hazard to humans. People object to their honeydew-covered cars or park benches, as well as to weeding seedlings from their gardens.

In terms of the number of animal and plant species which are known to be associated with sycamore it can be concluded that sycamore is typical of most native trees. However, to evaluate the conservation value of sycamore or of any invasive species it is essential to answer the following questions. Are any of the animal and plant species associated with it not found on any other tree species? Would species associated with sycamore become extinct, or at least their populations decrease to dangerously low levels, if sycamore was eradicated from a particular site?

If the answers to one of these questions is a clear yes then sycamore must be conserved. Otherwise, from a conservation value point of view, it can be said that sycamore merely displaces native tree species or increases productivity. For instance, aphids falling into streams from overhanging trees are important food source for young salmon and trout (Gray 1993), but obviously not essential to their survival since these fish have thrived in British waters long before the introduction of sycamore and are presently found in rivers not lined with sycamore.

Since the amount of work, manpower and money necessary to remove sycamore and carry out detailed scientific surveys of sites or regions to determine the conservation value of sycamore is too great, an alternative management strategy must be sought. This strategy entails the careful management of the countryside including selective planting and eradication of seed producing trees from conservation and amenity areas.

THE FUTURE

Using the reproductive behaviour of sycamore it is possible to devise a management strategy which can accommodate the different, if not opposite, interests of conservation, horticulture and forestry. The reason why an exotic becomes the subject of much debate is because the species becomes invasive. Invasiveness results chiefly from a prolific and regular production of viable seeds. Although in plants most species are hermaphrodite, not all individuals will carry viable seeds because of the wide spectrum of sex expressions observed. As a result of careful observations it is possible to identify individuals which do not set viable seeds. This is the case in sycamore where about one percent of the trees are male flowering and another 20-50 per cent of the hermaphrodite individuals do not set viable seeds, although they do produce fruits (samaras). These individuals, which function as males, can be identified in the field by the distinctively empty nutlets (see Binggeli 1990 for methodology).

In areas where the regeneration of sycamore is unwelcome, as in nature reserves, parks and residential areas, its control can be achieved by removal of seed producers. Planting of sycamore need not be banned as the establishment of male flowering trees will not create any problem of natural regeneration. In nature reserves where sycamore is thought to be provide an important source of food or substrate for a particular group of animals or plants, male flowering individuals may be retained.

In forestry and agroforestry the planting of male individuals only has two advantages. Firstly it removes the problem of seed production and unwanted natural regeneration, and secondly, more important from a timber point of view, male flowering trees grow faster (as much as 10 per cent) than seed producing individuals.

The selection and propagation of male flowering individuals is essential to the successful implementation of such a strategy. Propagation must be vegetative as we do not (yet?) have a method to identify male flowering individuals at the seedling stage. The propagation of hardwood cuttings has been achieved with a reasonable degree of success (eg, Williams et al. 1991). Although vegetative propagation is more expensive than direct sowing, this should be clearly offset by the reduction in the costs of control and weeding, and by the benefits from higher growth rates and timber quality.

For sycamore, as opposed to most other invasive species, we do have a solution which can control its invasiveness as well as enhance its commercial and amenity values. The development and implementation of a management plan based on our detailed knowledge of the biology and ecology of sycamore should see the end of the controversy usually associated it. If a consensus arises in Britain among all interested parties, Reverend Johns’ (1847) statement that sycamore “will continue to sow its own seeds and nurse its own offspring, as long as England exists” may be proved wrong.

References

Binggeli, P. (1990) Detection of protandry and protogyny in sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) from infructescences. Watsonia 18, 17-20.

Binggeli, P. (1992) Patterns of invasion of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in relation to species and ecosystem attributes. D.Phil. thesis, The University of Ulster.

Binggeli, P. (1993a) Conservation value of sycamore. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 87, 143-146.

Binggeli, P. (1993b) Sycamore lore. Plant-Lore Notes & News 29, 131-133.

Binggeli, P. (1994) The misuse of terminology and anthropomorphic concepts in the description of introduced species. The Bulletin of the British Ecological Society 25, 10-13.

Gray, C. (1993) The conservation value of sycamore. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 87, 235.

Harris, E. (1987) The case for sycamore. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 81, 32-36.

Johns, C.A. (1847) The forest trees of Britain. Vol 1. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London.

Simpson, J. (1905) The great trees of the northern forest. No 28. The sycamore maple (Acer pseudo-platanus). Flora Silva 3, 178-183.

Williams, A., Mayhead, G.J. and Good, J.E.G. (1991) Vegetative propagation of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). Quarterly Journal of Forestry 85, 179-182.

Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers3 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

CEMETERY WILDLIFE APRIL 2022

We have not had many of those famous April showers!  The total rainfall has been much lower than average for the month and the footpaths are therefore dry and easy to walk on.  There have been plenty of warm sunny days and the leaves on the trees have started to open.  That fresh, bright pale green so characteristic of Spring is everywhere now.

Trees and Plants

The English Oak trees planted by the volunteers last year are doing well, especially the larger of the two.

English Oak (2)

Alongside the green foliage of most of the trees is the copper colouring of the new leaves on the large Beech tree in the centre of the cemetery.  This tree is also known locally as the “Money Tree” and can be seen in my first photo.

Lower down, the Quince is flowering and nearby is some Yellow Archangel, which seems to do quite well in the shade.

Quince

Yellow Archangel

The Lesser Celandines growing on the grass verge have almost finished flowering but they are still going strong inside the cemetery.  The tiny blue flowers of the Forget-me-nots and Speedwell can now be seen if you look carefully amongst the other foliage.

Forget-me-not

Speedwell

Along the grass verge there is an abundance of Dandelions providing nectar for the Bees, Butterflies and other small insects.  The similar-looking Hawks-beard can also be seen.

Hawksbeard

I also found some Ribwort Plantain – the first time I’d noticed any along here.

Ribwort Plaintain

The Bluebells are now starting to flower but I will say more about them next month.  It was good to see plenty of Garlic Mustard in flower – another valuable food source for Butterflies, especially the Orange-tip.

Garlic mustard

Butterflies and insects

This month I saw quite a few Small and Large White butterflies, and also Comma and Brimstone.  I saw my first Orange-tips of the year this month.  I also caught a few brief glimpses of my first Green-veined White of the year.

Orange Tip

Male Orange Tip

The underside of the Orange-tip’s wings looks green but this is an optical illusion caused by the black and yellow patterning.

This month also saw the first Holly Blues and Speckled Woods of the year appearing in good numbers along the verge and also inside the cemetery.

Speckled Wood (2)

Holly Blues

Holly Blues usually rest with their wings not fully open.  These photos don’t really do them justice as they’re a much brighter blue than this but blink and you’ll miss them because they’re tiny and fast-flying.  Males and females have similar underwings.

Other insects in abundance were Bees, Ladybirds and various flies including the Bee-fly.

Bee-Fly

Birds

There are still some berries on the Ivy, providing food for Wood Pigeons, Blackcaps and Blackbirds.

Male Blackbird

The birds are still busy gathering nesting material.  I’ve seen quite a bit of activity around some of the bird boxes with Blue Tits in particular flying in and out of them. The larger birds will make nests of their own in the trees and bushes.

Female Blackbird

The Chiffchaffs have now arrived but are usually high up in the trees and not very easy to photograph.  Their call is loud and distinctive though!

Chiffchaff

Conclusion

April has been a month of abundance, with an explosion of colour and growth in most of the plants. The number and variety of Butterflies I’ve seen is very encouraging – I’ve seen a total of 10 different species so far this year.   Now is the perfect time for a stroll in the cemetery to enjoy the sights and sounds of the cemetery wildlife.  You might also enjoy the many monuments too – it seems like the wildlife does! Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

Stock Dove

 

 

Lichens

by Pete Lowdenin Volunteers, Wildlife4 Comments on Lichens

I watched a TV programme presented by Chris Packham. It was about the amount of wildlife that a normal suburban garden sustains throughout the year. Very interesting. One of the most interesting parts of the programme was when he looked at the top of plant pot. He was looking with an expert at the top of the soil in a plant pot. To me it looked like it was covered in moss. Probably to you too. The expert said there was a least 5  and probably more different kinds of mosses and lichens there. Which perhaps just goes to show two things. One is that much of what we blindly lump together is actually quite different. Secondly I’m crap at telling mosses and lichens apart.

Which is where this guide comes in handy. I recently acquired a rather glossy information eight page leaflet that identified these types of growths. I would have never guessed that there were so many different lichens. Nor that churchyards would have been the perfect place to spot them. The leaflet was so good that I thought I’d circulate it here. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

It is maybe something that local schools could use as a topic or it could become a the basis of a future walk, either organised or simply by yourself. Whatever enjoy the chance to educate yourself about this little known part of the natural world. Never again will you, unlike me, say, ‘Oh that’s just moss’. I hang my head in shame.

Next Month

by Pete Lowdenin Events, History, Volunteers2 Comments on Next Month

The newsletter next month will be my last as editor.

To celebrate this there will be two lengthy articles. The first will look at some of the men who took on the role of the Chairman of the Company. Most of them are buried in the cemetery. Most of them were successful in other spheres such as industry and medicine. The first provisional committee of the Company met in March 1845. The final meeting of the Company met in the summer of 1972. We’ll look at these ‘movers and shakers’ of Victorian and Edwardian Hull.

The second will examine in detail what went on in the confines of the last Board meeting of the Cemetery Company. It will show the desire on the part of the directors to give up and the unlooked for opposition to this. It will show the Cemetery could have been rescued by some long haired hippie types who went on to form  a property company that still flourishes in the city. A fascinating ‘what if’ story.

Hope you’ll enjoy them. See you next month.

Chris Ketchell

by Pete Lowdenin Events, Meetings, News, Talks, Volunteers2 Comments on Chris Ketchell

Some of you may remember Chris Ketchell. A local historian of note he initiated the Local History Unit in the mid 1980s. The list of his local history publications stretches for 7 pages of A4. The amount of projects and campaigns he was involved in was almost as long.

His involvement with the Hull General Cemetery was also over a long period. He roamed the site well before it’s ‘redevelopment’ by Hull City Council. Chris was one of the major figures in the fight against this wilful destruction of habitat and heritage. He loved the site. His work, ‘Grown in Sadness and Beauty’ was the first attempt at a written history of the site. The FOHGC owes much to this man’s influence and spirit in its custodianship of the site.

Sadly Chris died in 2011 with perhaps many more works to come from his fertile mind and pen.

Lecture and plaque

There is an annual local history lecture given to commemorate this man’s life usually during the month of his birthday, April. Due to the pandemic the lecture did not take place during 2020 and 2021. The decision was made to hold it again this year. It will take place in the lecture theatre at the Hull History Centre on the 7th July at 2.00 pm.

I’m proud to say that I will give the lecture this year. The talk will be loosely based upon my The Rise and Fall of Hull General Cemetery but the latter part will focus upon the fight against the ‘redevelopment’ of the site in the 70s and Chris’ part in that fight.

I’m also pleased to say that, after consultation with the Avenues and Pearson Park Residents Association (APPRA), they felt that it was now appropriate that an APPRA green plaque be attached to the house he lived in Westbourne Avenue. This will be unveiled some time this summer. A fitting tribute to Chris Ketchell.

 

Anniversary 1859

by Pete Lowdenin History, Volunteers2 Comments on Anniversary 1859

The anniversary this month is from May 1859. It is, at least in my opinion, the point where the Cemetery began its slow decline. An Emergency Board Meeting was called by the Secretary, C.S.Todd. He said he had received a letter from the Chairman. The minutes of the meeting describe what the contents of this letter contained.

‘The sec. said a letter from Mr J.S.Thompson resigning his office as chairman and director of this board. The directors having considered the reasons assigned by Mr Thompson for such resignation and being desirous that he should still continue to act as chairman of the board. It was resolved that such resignation be not accepted. That the sec. be instructed to address a letter to Mr Thompson expressing the earnest desire and request of the directors that he will reconsider his decision and by  withdrawing his letter of resignation resume his position and seat as chairman and director the board.’

The reply

On the 2nd June that year C.S.Todd read out the reply from J.S.Thompson to the Board. The minutes simply state that,

‘ received a reply thereto which he read to the Board and from which it appeared that Mr Thompson had determined not to withdraw his letter of resignation’

It is difficult to gauge from the above what a momentous point in time this was. The dry minutes do not reflect what consternation this resignation letter would have engendered. John Solomon Thompson had been the man who had navigated the Company through the task of selecting and buying the land. He had been instrumental in instigating the Act of Parliament that prevented the Hull Corporation for taking over the Cemetery. As the Chair he had negotiated hard with the Railway Company and forced it to change the proposed route of the Victoria Dock line. He had brought the Company through all of these perils and now he was resigning. Why?

What’s gone wrong?

Sadly, we have no knowledge of the ‘why’. Where are these letters? They are lost to us now in the wastepaper drive fomented by Churchill in World War Two.  What on earth had happened that made the esteemed Chair feel he could no longer carry on?

In March everything was rosy. The Company were in negotiations with the Local Board of Health about leasing the western part of their grounds for burials. The Company had just signed the agreement and covenant with the Hull Workhouse for the burial of the town’s poor.

In those intervening two months something had upset John Thompson so much that he felt he had to resign.

I could hazard a couple of guesses on what had caused this turn of events but that is only guesswork and not to be written down as proof. Oh, how I’d love to have seen those letters that were sent. As I said earlier it’s just another of those mysteries that crop up now and again and cause me a headache. A troublesome anniversary. Anniversary April 1858

 

Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

Where do I begin? March has been a great month for the many and varied members of the cemetery wildlife family!

This first month of the new season started off with a few rainy days but then the sun came out.  Most of the days have been very sunny with the occasionally frosty start, but daytime temperatures have been higher than average for this time of year.

This warm sunshine is just what the hibernating cemetery wildlife needed and I saw the first butterfly of the year – the above Small Tortoiseshell – on 10 March.

Insects

It’s nice to be writing about insects again!  A week after I saw the Small Tortoiseshell, I saw Commas and Brimstones and I got a brief glimpse of a Peacock. These were on the grass verge alongside the cemetery, but I also saw some of them inside the main part of the cemetery.

These four species of butterfly spend Winter as adults and can sometimes have slightly damaged wings by the time they emerge. This isn’t surprising considering the number of storms they’ve had to survive this year.  But I did also see some very smart, new-looking individuals too.

Commas

I saw two Brimstones and both were males.  Their wings are bright yellow but they always rest with their wings closed so you only see that bright yellow in flight.  The females emerge slightly later than the males and are a pale green, almost white.

During the last weekend I saw my first white butterflies of the season.  I saw a very active Small White on the grass verge.  It only stopped very briefly and when I studied my photo, I found it was a male.

Small White

Then in the edible garden area behind Thoresby Primary School I saw a Large White.  I realise this isn’t a part of the cemetery but think for the purposes of this report it can be included.  After all, if your main entry into the cemetery takes you past this area then your cemetery wildlife experience begins here.

Both these species spend their winters as a pupa – a good indication that the weather is now warm enough for the butterflies to complete their final transition into full adults.

Large White

So that’s six different species of butterfly in just one month and in a relatively small area.  Quite impressive!

There have been plenty of Bees around.  The queens have emerged from their Winter hibernation and are starting to look for places to start a new colony.

These are the main species I’ve seen so far – Buff-tailed, White-tailed and Red-tailed Bumblebees, and Common Carder Bees.  I also saw a Tawny Mining Bee towards the end of the month.

Bees

I also saw some Bee-flies.  Their fluffy little bodies make them look remarkably like small bees.  If you’re lucky to see one of these flies resting on a flower or a leaf look at the wings, held open at right angles to the body.  Bees rest with their wings over their bodies.

Bee-Fly

Another insect I was delighted to see was this Hawthorn Shield Bug, on a Common Dog Violet leaf.

Hawthorn Shield Bug

There are lots of Ladybirds of various kinds around too.  Note the 7-Spot one on the right of the Commas photo for example.  This is one of the twelve species native to the UK, and there are also Harlequin Ladybirds around too.

Plants and Flowers

After a slow start the Lesser Celandines are now flowering in abundance and the grass verge at the side of the cemetery is looking beautiful.  They are also flowering inside the cemetery.  These small yellow flowers can have between 8 and 13 petals, and they feature on several of the photos in this report.  The other yellow flowers in the photos are Dandelions.

The Blackthorn trees around the cemetery are now in full flower and some of the leaf buds have started to open.  Fresh green shoots are starting to appear on some of the other trees as well.

But when you look at the ground the signs of Spring are all around in the smaller flowers now starting to open.  Red Dead-nettle and Wood Anemones are currently in flower on the grass verge.

Red Dead-nettle

Wood Anemone

Inside the cemetery small patches of Common Dog Violets can now be seen, and I even found a few Periwinkles in flower.

Common Dog-Violet

Periwinkle

Birds

The birds are in full song at the moment, with the Robins being one of the loudest.

Robin

The gathering of nest material has begun in earnest and I’ve seen several Blue Tits exploring the nest boxes.

Last year the volunteers sunk a shallow dish into the ground in the Quaker Burial Ground as there is no natural supply of water in the cemetery.  Other than the pools that form in wet weather of course!  The Blackbirds seem especially fond of it.  It’s topped up regularly in dry weather but is kept shallow for the safety of all visitors.

Blackbird bathing

As far as the larger birds are concerned, there are Magpies, Carrion Crows, Stock Doves and Wood Pigeons in the cemetery.  They can be seen foraging among the many ground covering plants including Wild Garlic, the leaves of which are shown here.

Wood Pigeon

Some of the volunteers had a close encounter with a Sparrowhawk, flying close over their heads and into the far corner of the cemetery.  It was too fast for a photo though! I also caught a brief glimpse of a female Blackcap earlier in the month.  There are also Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits and Dunnocks around.

Conclusion

March has been a great month for the cemetery wildlife, with lots of sunshine and warmth.  But I couldn’t end this report without mentioning the Daffodils which are now open throughout the cemetery.  They are looking particularly spectacular along the grass verge, and should continue to look good well into April.

Cemetery Wildlife February 2022

Daffodils

 

 

 

Anniversary April 1858

by Pete Lowdenin General, History, Volunteers4 Comments on Anniversary April 1858

Sometimes, you know you are going to have a bad day. From when you get up to when you go to bed things just keep on going wrong. This month’s anniversary celebrates – if that’s the right word – a bad week for a number of people.

The clergy attack

Back in April 1858 John Shields had a bad week. On Thursday, the 1st of April Mr Shields had to defend himself against some criticism from the clergy. Mr Graham, the curate of Holy Trinity, approached the Board. He said that the superintendent had used, ‘most gross and insulting language towards him when in the discharge of his clerical duties.’

Sadly, what was said or not said, was not recorded. However, the Board said they would investigate and called Mr Shields before them. The Board may also have been wanting to be seen to do the right thing. However, the Board must also have had misgivings about Mr Graham’s evidence.

This was because the clergy of Holy Trinity parish had long held some resentment towards the Cemetery. With the coming of the Cemetery the burials in the Holy Trinity churchyard and the Castle Street burial ground had decreased sharply. This in turn affected the revenue of the clergy. And, sadly, this drop in income was probably the most important factor in their continuing to bury people in these overcrowded burial grounds.

So, the Board knew that there may well have been some other reason behind this accusation. I don’t believe that their investigation would have been more than asking Mr Shields whether he had been insulting to Mr Graham. When Mr Shields probably replied no, that would have been the end of that.

The next week

On the following Monday, the 5th, Mr Shields had a much more delicate and distasteful task before him. Let’s try to set the scene.

He will have been working in his office in the Lodge. Probably trying to get his books up to date as Sunday was the busiest day for the Cemetery. That was day when most burials took place and he was probably rushed off his feet that day getting the chapel ready for each burial. Apart from that he would have had to check the paperwork for each burial and take the monies owed. This was apart from supervising the staff throughout the day. Yes, probably a busy day and Monday was the day to sort it all out.

A knock on the door of the office. Two of his staff stood there. Probably with their caps off and maybe even shuffling their feet a little. On the door being opened I’m pretty certain that one of them would have said they’d found something. And I’m equally sure that Mr Shields would have asked what had they found and been equally as shocked at their answer.

cholera monument 1993

Inside the box

For they had found a box in the shrubbery near to the new cholera monument. Inside that box they found two dead children. Two female babies, One can imagine his shock at this news and his horror when he went to look for himself. He contacted the police immediately who arrived and took the children’s bodies away ‘to Newland to wait the Coroner’s request’.

He reported it to the Board but no more information is forthcoming in the Minute Books.

Child life expectation

However this was not a singular incident. It may well have been unusual in the confines of the Cemetery but the lives of children during this period could be short. The life expectancy in Britain in 1850 was 42 years. For the working class this would have been significantly lower, probably 28 years. And the life expectancy at this time was so low because of the large number of children who died before they reached the age of 5. Over 25% of children died before reaching the age of one. 40% of all the annual deaths in the Victorian period were of children under 5 years old.

The anonymous author of A Short History of the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, commented that to be an English baby at the beginning of the 20th century was ‘to occupy a position as perilous as that of a soldier going about to go into action’. With such statistics it is difficult to counter that claim.

Illegitimacy

Illegitimate babies were much more at risk. In the 1870s it was estimated that 35% of all such births in manufacturing towns died before the age of one. In London it was nearer 75%. It is highly likely that the children found in the Cemetery were illegitimate.

Let’s look at this crime a little. It is sad to say that in law, and probably in reality, this crime was seen as a ‘female crime’. Until 1803 the crime of infanticide was tried under the Bastardy Act of 1624. Under this act the mother had to prove, via witnesses, that the child had been born dead. Unless she could prove this she faced the death penalty, for it was a capital crime. Over time, as more and more juries failed to convict the accused for one reason or another, a new Act was proposed.

1803

This was the 1803 Act. This Act required the prosecution to prove that a murder had taken place. However if this could not be proved another option presented itself. The jury could return a verdict of ‘concealment of birth’. The penalty for this was from two months up to two years in prison.

Why would a woman conceal her pregnancy or the birth of a child? One of the many reasons why this would happen was the nature of Victorian society, especially towards unmarried mothers. Emsley in Crime and Society in England 1750-1900 states,

‘Most of the women brought before the courts charged with infanticide during the 18th and 19th centuries appear to have been young women, commonly servants, desperate to maintain their positions and their respectability’.

So babies were ‘routinely killed’. Carver in The 19th Century Underworld states,

‘The Thames held as many bodies as the Ganges’. He goes on to show a typical case he found in the Marylebone Mercury of August 1859,

‘The body of a baby boy was found floating in a water-butt of a house in Upper Boston Street. Attention had been alerted when the wife of a tenant noticed a peculiar taste in the water.’ It doesn’t bear thinking about does it? Yet, as the figures above show, this was a commonplace occurrence.

The New Poor Law

How did we get to this situation? The law didn’t help. The 1834 New Poor Law Act had a Bastardy clause. This said that all children born out of wedlock were the sole responsibility of their mothers. To gain a flavour of how the law saw such people the mothers of bastard children were described as ‘vicious’ in the legislation. It was hoped that the legislation would stop, ‘idleness, bastardy and beer drinking.’ But only in women as the Act wasn’t aimed at the other sexual partner!

Abortion

And, of course, in an attempt to avoid this scenario abortion rears its head. And we come back to the 1803 Act. Prior to that Act abortion was met with a fine or a short term of imprisonment. However if the child was terminated before ‘the quickening’ there was no penalty. The ‘quickening’ was deemed to be when the mother could feel the foetus move, around the 13th week of pregnancy.

By 1837 this loophole was removed. Under this Act,  it was only the abortionist who committed a criminal act in conducting an abortion not the mother. This changed with the introduction of the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 which is still on the statute book. It encompasses such crimes as GBH and ABH. Under this Act both the abortionist and the woman were both deemed equally guilty. Abortion was removed as a criminal act by legislation in 1967.

Conclusion

However, the foetus still needed to be disposed of. Which is where the bodies in the cemetery may well have come from.

I’m sure that John Shields’ week must have become better. I wonder more about the poor girl who gave birth. Would she ever forget her dead children being left alone in a lonely place beside a monument to death from disease? In that context John Shields’ bad week was nothing in comparison. It was not a good anniversary for her. That girl had a heavy burden to carry for much longer than a week. Placed upon her by an uncaring society. A society lauded by some politicians and historians, even now, as a highpoint of civilization. Victorian values eh?

Anniversary March 1877

 

Freddy Kruger

by David Hamiltonin General, History, Volunteers2 Comments on Freddy Kruger

Freddy Krüger and Family revealed

 

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The grave site C37/3060 in Hull General Cemetery before the plot had been cleared in late 2021 and the parts of the headstone re-united.

Freddy Krüger and family revealed

The gravestone located in Hull General Cemetery had long been hidden beneath a thick  bed of ivy and other vegetation. The “Friends” of the cemetery often referred to this plot  as “Freddy Krüger’s Grave. Late in 2021, the volunteers decided to clear the plot and liberate the headstone from the vegetation, in doing so they found the stone was in two pieces, one of which was lying face down. Once the two parts had been reunited the inscription was clear and read as follows: –

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The inscription reveals a close link between the Raines and the Krüger families. Interestingly there is a lack of any biographical information in contrast with other memorials in the Cemetery.

After research over several weeks the true story of the Krüger and other families was revealed and we find a story of the Baltic trade between Hull and Russia, shipwreck, tragedy, and philanthropy in Victorian Hull through to the early 20th century.

Descendants of Robert Raines

 

Descendants_of_Robert_Raines

Sarah Raines

Sarah was one of at least three daughters of Rev. Robert and Elizabeth Raines, she was born in 1789 and baptised in Hull St. Mary on 3rd June and died 12th July 1861. She appears to have been a lady of independent means who lived all her life in Hull and never married. In the 1851 census she is living at 7 Spring Street, head of the household with a nephew and two servants. The nephew is registered as Edward Brebim aged 19 and working  as an engineer, nationality, Russian born in Riga. (I have been unable to find any family connection to Edward and the surname is untraceable and suspect).

There is an entry in Pigot’s Directory of 1828/9 of Sarah Raines having a Millinery and Dressmaking business at 1 Jarratt Street. There are no other records of her being in business in Hull and no references to her in the local press.

However, we find a detailed press report in the Hull Packet of a trial at Somerset Assizes on March 29th 1800. A certain Mrs Leigh Perrott was charged with stealing lace in the shop of Miss Gregory, in the City of Bath. Miss Sarah Raines, apprentice to Miss Gregory (milliner and  owner of the shop), swore that on the 8th of August the prisoner came to the shop……. and was a witness to the theft.

 In the 1861 census records we find Sarah living at 24 Pearson Street with one servant where she dies of “decay of nature” in July the same year. There is no record of any obituary, will or probate.

 

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 Elizabeth Raines

Sarah Raines’ sister Elizabeth was born in 1781 and died on 10th November, 1849, she is buried   in Humbleton churchyard. She also had a sister Mary-Ann born in 1787 who was married to John Whitton.

Elizabeth married Francis Reimers, gentleman, on 18th February 1798 in Holy Trinity, Hull. They had two children: –

Francis Thomas born May 1800 and died January 1869 Christiana Elizabeth born December 1802

Francis Reimers died in August 1803 and buried in Hull St Mary on 30th August leaving Elizabeth a widow. His estate was valued at £100.

On the 7th March, 1810 Elizabeth marries “Jno. Frederick Krügar” in Holy Trinity, Hull. On his  marriage to Elizabeth he is described as a German Teacher.

There are no official records of “John Frederick” in UK archives. His birth and death are not recorded but his marriage to Elizabeth Reimers (nee Raines) in 1810 is recorded in the Hull Trinity Parish record and there is a note of him being a clergyman in 1848 on the marriage of his son Henry  Raines Krüger1 to Eleanor Blythe. There is no evidence of his presence at the marriage as a witness.

In the 1841 Census we also find Elizabeth living with her children from her first marriage at Prospect Street.  Francis Thomas Reimers (her son) is head of the household, she is not described   as a widow. It therefore seemed as if “John Frederick” was deceased by 1841 or had otherwise disappeared without trace.

1 There are two Henry Raines, son and grandson of Johann Friedrich Krüger

Johann Joachim Friedrich Krüger

Later I found strong evidence of family ties to St. Petersburg in Russia and that Henry Raines Krüger (his grandson) spent time in St. Petersburg with his first wife Edith who died there in the Alexander Hospital in 1886. I therefore wondered if “John Frederick” was a Lutheran clergyman of   Russian descent. I found there are two Lutheran cemeteries in St. Petersburg. In the Smolenskoe Lutheran Cemetery in St. Petersburg there are several “Krügers” interred and in particular Johann Joachim Friedrich Krüger. Born 3rd July 1797 and died 3rd December 1874 age 77 years. This would seem a good match as he would have been 33 years old in 1810 on his marriage to Elizabeth.

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“Rest peacefully in your tomb, your saviour will welcome you”

 A further search of the cemetery records failed to find Edith, first wife of Henry Raines Krüger who died in Alexandra Hospital in 1886 although there are several other “Krügers” interred there.

It would seem that Johann lived in St. Petersburg along with other members of the family and it is likely he worked as an agent for Hull merchants in the Balkan trade with Russia.

Descendants of Johann Joachim Friedrich Krüger

Descendants_of_Johann Joachim Friedrich Kruger

Captain John Frederick Krüger

John Frederick was the youngest of Johann Friedrich’s three children, a merchant seaman, master mariner, latterly a marine surveyor and Trinity House Brother. He was called as an expert witness in several inquests into maritime accidents. He was clearly an esteemed member of the Hull community and there are numerous press reports of his close involvement, together with his brother Captain Henry Raines Krüger in the affairs of the Port of Hull Sailors’ Orphan Homes (see later).

In 1854 he married Emily Atkinson in Sculcoates, she was born in 1825 and died 28th October 1880 in Hull and is interred in Hull General Cemetery.

In the Merchant Seamen’s register (BT120), May 1836 he is Mate aged 25 on a ship belonging to Welton of Hull. Later in 1842 – 1844 he is recorded as a merchant seaman aboard the Royal William.

By 1851 he has become a Master Mariner living at 7 Spring Street. In July 1854 he was   deemed qualified to be an expert witness at the Coroner’s Inquest into the loss of life resulting from the launch of the barque Dowthorpe which went awry (appendix 2).

In the 1861 census (ships at sea) he is Master of the paddle steamer PS LION along with his wife Emily, the Master’s wife aged 36 and his young son John Frederick aged 21/2.

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The P S LION (pictures in Maritime Museum and Ferens Art Gallery) a Hull based paddle steamer,

626 tons, 320HP built by Brownlow & Co., Hull

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During the Crimean War the ship was chartered by the government for the conveyance of troops and stores. After the war she was lengthened and converted to screw propulsion at 150HP and 690 tons, before conversion she required 650 tons of coal for the St. Petersburg voyage and now only 350 tons was required and was able to carry an extra 400 tons of cargo, and her speed increased from 6.5 to 8 knots.

On the 18th November 1861 the SS LION left Kronstadt and encountered a gale, Captain Winteringham and Captain Krüger a passenger managed to drive her ashore on the island of Gotland off the Swedish coast where she was driven to pieces in the gale. The crew and passengers managed to get  ashore.

Leeds Mercury, 13th August 1888

PROBATE of the will dated 18th February 1881, of the late Captain John Frederick Krüger of Hull, Marine Superintendent, who died on the 10th June last, and was one of the oldest members of the Hull Merchant Service and an Elder Brother of the Hull Trinity House, has been granted to the executors, his sons.  Mr. Henry Raines Krüger and Mr. John Frederick Krüger and Mr Joseph Atkinson.  The testator devises all his real estate for sale and bequeaths the proceeds and all residue of his property to his said two sons and his daughter, Mrs Sarah Raines, as his tenants in common, the value of the personal estate being £6.613 15s 8d.

The Port of Hull Society’s Sailors’ Orphan Homes

Captain John Frederick and his brother Captain Henry Raines Krüger were prominent members of the merchant shipping community, Brethren of Trinity House and lifelong supporters of the Port of Hull Society’s Orphan Homes charity. Their dedication and generosity are recorded in a small book Lifebelt and Anchor published around 1900 recording the history of the Port of Hull Society as well as in numerous press reports of the activities of the society.

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Capt. J. F. Krüger was one of the founding members of the Port of Hull Society and at the time of his death was the oldest serving member of the committee. He was connected with the earliest beginnings of the Orphanage and School. In conjunction  with his brother Capt. H. R. Krüger, and Mr John Wright, he took an active interest in the enlargement of the orphanage when Mr Titus Salt gave his great contribution. (Titus Salt donated £5000 towards the cost of the new wing to accommodate an additional 100 orphans).

Capt. Krüger had been a member of the board of Trinity House since 1869, and  he advocated the claims of the Orphanage with such zeal before the Trinity House brethren that they eventually became large subscribers to our funds, The generous subscriptions which, at this time were received from St. Petersburg, were also the result of Captain Krüger’s influence.

Lifebelt and Anchor, p125

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Engraving reproduced from Lifebelt and Anchor

The Orphan’s Home is still in existence and is now the Park Hotel in Park Street.

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Park Street

On the façade of the former Sailor’s Orphans Home in Park Street, Commerce and Navigation are depicted providing Charity with the means to care for homeless waifs

 The Book of Hull, John Markham

Captain Henry Raines Krüger

Captain Henry Raines Krüger, son of Johann Friedrich and younger brother of John Frederick, born in 1813. He died in March 1874.

In the same year (1874) the committee were saddened by the death of Mr H R Krüger, one of two brothers who were among the earliest and most zealous friends of the Society. He was a sea captain and an agent for Messrs. Brownlow & Lumsden, a prominent firm of Hull shippers at that time. His duties connected him very closely with Russia; indeed there was Russian blood in his veins. For thirty years he had served on   the committee, and in work for the Orphan Home few could have been more faithful than he.

Lifeboat and Anchor, p 99

Rev. Henry Raines Krüger

Henry was the eldest son of Captain John Frederick, born in June 1857 in Sculcoates he spent most of his early life as a forwarding clerk in the shipping trade. In the 1881 census he is living with his father John Frederick at 3, Wright Street. At this stage he is still single.

On the 27th December 1883 he marries Edith Kershaw in St. Paul’s Church, Sculcoates. Shortly after we find he and his new wife have relocated to St. Petersburg, Russia where she dies in the Alexander Hospital on the 24th February 1886.

 

PROBATE

17th April 1886

Personal estate  £306

Administration (with the Will) of the Personal Estate of Edith Krüger (wife of Henry Raines Krüger) late of 37 Louis Street in the Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull who died 24th February 1886 at the Alexander Hospital, St. Petersburg in Russia was granted at YORK under certain Specialities to the said Henry Raines Krüger of 37 Louis Street and of 9 Fish Street both in Kingston-upon-Hull.  Forwarding agent and John Frederick Krüger the younger of 3 Wright Street, Kingston-upon-Hull Provision Merchant the Executors.

I can find no record of her burial in St. Petersburg or anywhere else.

Henry must have remained in St. Petersburg for several more years, presumably either working  with or for his father or grandfather in their shipping business as he is not recorded in the 1891 census.

By 1893 Henry has found a new life. He marries Mary Ellen Fergie in Wigan, gains a BA and is  appointed to the curacy of Cullompton on the 15th June the same year. He continued his studies, gained an MA and is appointed Rector of Jacobstowe, Okehampton, Devon.

His widow, Mary Ellen retired to Hove, Sussex and died there on 30th November 1945, her estate was valued at £2,548.

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 18th September 1929

Devon Clergyman’s Death

The death has taken place of the Rev. H. R. Krüger, who at one time held the curacy at Cullompton and was later presented with the living at Jacobstowe by the late Sir R. T. White-Thomson. After working in the parish for some years he was offered one of the new churches built to meet the demand of the growing   population in certain parts of Plymouth. On the death of the Rev. J. W. Banks, he was presented with the living at Hatherleigh, coming to reside in the parish in 1918. In the summer of 1927, while on holiday he had a seizure which left him practically paralysed and he was persuaded by his friends to retire from active work, and a Commission granted him a pension from his living, which in the meantime was accepted by the Rev. J. C Rossiter. Much sympathy was felt for Mrs. Krüger, who has been the indefatigable nurse and constant attendant ever since her husband’s sudden illness. A knell was rung on the bells from Holsworthy, and on Sunday the Vicar made feeling reference and asked for the prayers of his congregation on behalf of Mrs. Krüger.

John Frederick Krüger (the younger) and the Apple Trade

John Frederick Krüger was the younger son of Captain John Frederick Krüger, born 18th September, 1858 in Sculcoates. We first find him aboard the PS LION with his mother and his father in command on route to Hamburg or one of the other Baltic ports. He soon becomes a shipping and merchant’s clerk, joins White & Sons fruit importers, and works his way up to senior management and a seat on the board.

John Frederick married Harriet Anne Gray on the 18th October 1888 in the Herrington Street Chapel in Sunderland.

He was evidently a valued employee and on good terms with Colonel William Lambert White, governing director of White and Sons fruit importers as he received a gift of £100 as a token of his friendship.  (Hull Daily Mail, 23rd September 1930)

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Yorkshire Post

Monday December 12th, 1932

  1. J.F. Krüger

Pioneer of the Australian Apple Trade in Hull

Mr John Frederick Krüger, who has died at his home, 23 Park Avenue, Hull, was the pioneer of the large trade in Australian Apples now done by the port. He was a director of the firm of White and Sons, Ltd fruit importers and spent 58 years with it having joined in 1874, when the business was carried on under the style of White and Son and Strutten. He went overseas a great deal for the company.

In 1912 he was in Australia and through his initiative the first direct consignment of Australian apples was sent to Hull. The trade was developed considerably, over 400,000 boxes being imported to Hull last year. At a later date he also arranged for direct shipment of apples from South Africa but owing to the difficulty of obtaining return cargoes they had to be discontinued.     A dinner was given in his honour in 1924 to celebrate 50 years with the trade.

Footnote and acknowledgements

This has been a fascinating journey through the history of merchant shipping and people of the Port of Hull in Victorian England. It has been a challenge to condense all the information I have gleaned into a concise biographical story of the Raines and Krüger families, their ancestors and descendants.

I was fortunate to find the small textbook on the history of the Port of Hull Society’s Sailors’ Orphan Homes in the Carnegie Centre “Lifebelt and Anchor” (H362.73) in which I found the images of Captains J. F and H. R Krüger together with the engraving of the orphanage in Park Street.

Finally, I want to thank Karen Towner for her encouragement and advice in compiling this biography

Appendix 1

This page reproduced from Lifeboat and Anchor, the history of the Port of Hull Society showing the eminent benefactors of the Society.

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Appendix 2

Illustrated London News, July 22nd, 1854

LOSS OF LIFE AT SHIP LAUNCH

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On the morning of Thursday week, Messrs. Earles, the eminent iron shipbuilders, of Hull, had arranged to launch from their yard at the east end of Victoria Dock, a very fine iron barque, named the Dowthorpe which they had built for Messrs John Beadle and Co., merchants of Hull.

This vessel is about 400 tons burthen and has on deck two poop houses. Everything was prepared, and as it was thought, every precaution taken to ensure success in the launching. Men were stationed at all posts to prevent people from getting on board the vessel, but without avail. At the time of launching there were between 300 and 400 persons on board, and of these, as many as could conceivably stand had stationed themselves on the roof of the poop houses where there was not a scrap of rope or an inch of bulwark to hold on by.

At about ten minutes past eleven o’clock the ceremony of naming the vessel Dowthorpe was performed by Miss Baird, the last   of the wedges was knocked out, and the good ship glided easily and well into the water. At time it was found, we are informed, that there was too much “way” on her and some efforts were made to check her. At the same time the people on board, with the usual carelessness of danger, commenced “sallying” her – that is rushing from side to side, to make her rock in the water. Down she dipped on one side, and at this moment one of the check ropes broke, bringing the whole strain of checking on the other side, to which at the same moment the people rushed.

The combined influence of the two forces heeled the vessel completely on her beam ends, and the unfortunate people who had taken their stand on the “poops” were shot into the water one upon the other. For the moment it was thought the ship would go over altogether; but fortunately, at this moment the other check rope broke, and this, together with the lightening of the top load, by the precipitation of   the people into the water, enable the vessel to right herself. In the meantime there were between fifty and sixty men and boys struggling in the water, pressing on each other to make their escape.

Happily, there were several rafts of timber floating in the dock, and upon these clambered a large proportion of the unfortunates. The loss, therefore, is not so great as might have been feared, four persons only having been dragged up. The names of the persons who have been found drowned are John Jackson, twenty-two years of age, rivet man; Joseph Lucas, fourteen, son of Mr. Lucas, hairdresser; John Coulon, twenty-four, labourer; and John Shipson, nineteen, ship-carpenter

Inspirational Women

by Bill Longbonein Facebook Archive, General, History, Volunteers1 Comment on Inspirational Women

This is an article that Bill Longbone produced some years ago for the Facebook site. In it he listed a number of women who were independent minded, resourceful and also influential. They also had a connection to Hull General Cemetery.

Bill called the article  ‘Inspirational Women’ and the title fundamentally says it all. With one or two changes here it is once again for your pleasure.

Eleanor Rollit

Eleanor Anne Bailey

Eleanor Rollit (Bailey) was born in Hull in 1853, the 2nd daughter of ship builder, William Bailey and Mary Badger Ainley. William was a self made man, and a partner in the steamship company, Bailey & Leetham, which was taken over by Thomas Wilson & Co. in 1903. William was a JP, and a director of the Hull Dock Company and lived at White Hall, Winestead.

Eleanor married Albert Kaye Rollit at the newly opened, St Peter’s Church, Anlaby on 26th August 1872 when she was just 18 years old. Her brother, Walter Samuel Bailey, of The Mansion, Anlaby, married Albert’s sister, Ellen Rollit.

Albert Kaye Rollit, was the son of solicitor John Rollit, and brother of Arthur, also a renowned solicitor who lived at Browsholme, Cottingham. Albert became a successful eventually became President of the Law Society, and was later knighted.

Eleanor’s charitable work

In 1874 their only daughter, Ellen Kaye was born, and the family lived at Thwaite House in Cottingham. Eleanor was very involved with local charities, and was a great supporter and benefactor of the Sailor’s Orphanage on Spring Bank, she was also a patron of the training ship T.S. Southampton, that trained wayward boys and orphans in the basics of seamanship, and was moored in the Humber at the mouth of the River Hull. Eleanor personally opened bank accounts with the Hull Savings Bank for the boys.

Eleanor was always referred to as charitable and philanthropic, she organized annual visits and fetes at the family house in Thwaite Street, for the children of the orphanage, and subscribed towards a new wing at the Hull Royal Hospital in Prospect Street.

Lady Mayoress

When her husband became Mayor of Hull in 1883-1885, Eleanor became Lady Mayoress and extended her support for local charities and good causes. She was also very active in the early women’s suffrage movement. Sadly, during her tenure of Lady Mayoress, she suffered heart problems, and died on 11 January 1885, aged only 31.

Her funeral was attended by ex-mayors, councillors and many of the local dignitaries. The cortege, which left from the family house in Cottingham, was lined all the way to Hull General Cemetery, with crowds of in excess of 20,000 people, including the orphans of the Sailor’s Orphan Homes. Her portrait was painted by Ernest Gustave Giradot and hangs in The Guildhall, a marble bust by local sculptor William Day Keyworth junior is also in the Guildhall.

Cartoon of A.K.Rollit for Vanity Fair

In1892, her husband, Sir Albert Rollit, put a private members bill supporting votes for women, no doubt inspired by his wife’s work.
She was buried in the family grave, which includes her father in law, John Rollit and some of his children. Her headstone still remains in HGC, but the top section with her epitaph has been removed, and is in need of some repair work, (see photo below).

Rollit Memorial as it was when Eleanor was buried

‘The Friends’ are looking at a proposal to carry out restoration work to the headstone.

And now

Her husband, Albert, moved to London and remarried the controversial and twice married, Mary Caroline Michell, Dowager of Sutherland in 1896, he died in 1922, his cremated remains are in the family grave in Hull General Cemetery.

Thwaite House, was later purchased by the University of Hull, the gardens were used by the Botany Department the house became Halls of Residence called Thwaite Hall. The house and grounds are currently being sold by the University.

Mary Sharrah

Alice Sharrah

Mary Alice Sharrah was born in Hull in1863, the daughter of William Simpson Sharrah, a prominent Wesleyan, who was The Seaman’s Missionary for the Port of Hull, and his wife Mary Ann. She taught music from an early age, setting up the Hull School of Music (The first school of music in England), in 1887, originally from her family home at 22 Reed Street, and later at 55 Spring Bank.

22 Reed St

In 1894 she married William Henry Simpson, a director of a local grain merchant’s, and lived at their large house at 55 Spring Bank, which still exists. For teaching purposes she kept her maiden name of Sharrah, and referred to herself as ‘Madame Sharrah’. As well as music, she also taught drama and elocution, instructing many local talents such as Annie Croft, her son David Croft of Dad’s Army etc, Doris White and many others.

Hull School of Music promotional material

Charitable work

Madame Sharrah supported many charitable institutions with her shows and concerts, including The Mother Humber Fund, Newland Orphan Homes and the Hesslewood Orphanage. Throughout WW1 Alice was responsible for organizing many concerts in aid of servicemen.

Her daughter, Phyllis Sharrah continued the school after her mother’s death on 25th May 1940, amalgamating with Sizer Simpson School. The premises became 55 Antiques in the 1960’s, next to The Silhouette Club, and is now part of a number of listed buildings in the Belgrave block.

The entire family of father, mother and Mary are all buried in Hull General Cemetery, but sadly the headstones have been removed.

Mary Kirk Mawmill

Mary Kirk Mawmill was born in Beverley on 7th October 1810, the daughter of William & Hannah Mawmill. She married Edward Robinson Harland in Hull on 11th August 1832. Edward had been indentured to be a greengrocer, but a year after his marriage he started his own printing business at 14 Carlisle Street, (a street later demolished to make way for Jameson Street).

They lived near the business premises in Carlisle Street, and had 5 children, employing 2 apprentices. Unfortunately, Edward died suddenly in 1844 aged only 33, leaving Mary with 5 young children and a business to run.

Single mother of five

Mary was unphased by this set-back, and continued to run the business and bring up her young children. Under her stewardship, the business grew from strength to strength. She was described in the Hull Daily Mail as ‘a woman of rare business qualities, succeeding in keeping the Company together in the midst of great difficulty’.

A further set back occurred to Mary when her daughter, Emma, died in 1855 aged 20.

However, the business continued to expand, and became involved in the printing of tickets, two of her sons, William and Edward also joined the company to assist in the running of the Company. However, William died in 1880 aged 38, the company name was recorded as M Harland & Son. The other son Thomas, died in New Zealand in 1907 aged 74, the remaining daughter, Sarah, died in 1910 aged 73.

Her death

Mary died of an apoplexy at her home at 104 Regent Street on 3rd November 1885 aged 75, and was buried in Hull General Cemetery. After her death Edward took over the company, and moved to larger premises, to what was known as Phoenix Works, in Land of Green Ginger, although the correct address was Manor Street.

The company became one of the largest printing companies in Hull, moving to Springfield Way, Anlaby in the 1960s, and innovating into data printing and bar code systems. I believe that the company was taken over by a multi-national printing company in the 1990s, and business transferred to Eastern Europe, but a management buy-out took place and the company still trade at their Marfleet premises on Hedon Road.

Sadly, Mary’s headstone no longer exists, and she is not recorded in the MI books. She certainly was a resourceful and inspirational woman.

Mary was also the great grandmother of Annie Croft, the well known Hull actress and singer, but that’s another story…….

Annie Croft

Annie Croft 1910

Many people will have heard of Annie Croft, the Hull girl who became an international star of stage and screen, but few will know of her fascinating story.

Although, not buried in HGC, she is very much associated with it, as her great grandmother, Mary Harland and the woman behind the success of Harland’s Printers is buried there.

Annie Croft was born Gertrude Mulgrave on 17th August 1892 at 11 Tuke’s Terrace, Walker Street, to Frederick Steele Mulgrave and his wife Lily Ann (Davis).

Adoption

She was adopted by Michael Croft (1853-1895) and his wife Emma, the daughter of Thomas Harland and the grand daughter of Mary Harland, who we have discussed previously. She was baptised as ‘Annie Harland Croft, the adopted daughter of Michael & Emma Croft of 424 Hessle Road at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at the corner of St George’s Road on 24th November 1892. Michael and Emma had a shop on the opposite corner of St George’s Road to the chapel.

Over the years there has been much unfounded rumour regarding the parentage of Annie Croft. The ‘story’ was that she was the illegitimate daughter of Muriel Wilson, the daughter of Arthur Wilson and Edward Prince of Wales, (later King Edward VII), after an affair whilst the future king was staying at Tranby Croft. Whilst it is true that Prince Edward regularly stayed at Tranby Croft, (he was there at the infamous ‘Baccarat Scandal’) it has been proven beyond doubt that Annie’s ‘royal parentage’ was just a rumour.
Sadly, Annie’s adopted father, Michael Croft, died in 1895 aged just 41, leaving Emma to bring her daughter up on her own, but with some financial help from her father Thomas Harland.

Emma remarried William Drury, (a sea pilot) in 1898 and lived at 32 Waverley Street. Apparently William was a brusque man who liked a drink. He died in 1914, when Annie was 20 years old.

Annie Croft2

 

Becoming an artist

Annie joined Madame Sharrah’s ‘Hull School of Music’ when a young girl. She quickly became known as a talented singer and dancer, appearing in many of Mme Sharrah’s concerts and shows. In 1907, when only 16 years old, Annie decided to form her own school of dancing and music, which she called the Waverley Academy of Music, operating initially at the family home in Waverley Street, later moving to 5 Fountain Street.

Annie Croft Waverley

In addition to teaching dancing, acting and singing, Annie produced many concerts and plays at the local theatres. During WW1 she produced many shows supporting local charities and raising money for servicemen.

David Croft

Annie’s talents were well noted and she was offered parts in plays in London, and film roles. She married American stage and film star, Reginald Sharland (1886-1944), in Hull in 1914, and appeared in many plays with him. They later moved to Bournemouth. They had two children, Peter, (1917-1988), and David Sharland (1922-2011), both of whom trained at Madame Sharrah’s Hull School of Music and adopted the stage names Croft.

David Croft became famous as the writer of several BBC sitcoms, including, Dad’s Army, Are You Being Served?, Allo, Allo, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, and Hi-De-Hi.

Annie divorced Reginald Sharland in 1931, and remarried Francis Gough in 1938.

Annie died in Dorset died on 23rd March 1959. She was aged 66.

Jane Wing

 

Jane Wing

Jane (Barnborough) was born in Preston in 1778, and married John Wing at Holy Trinity Church, Hull on 21 Feb 1811. John was born in 1777 at Beeford, and had moved to Patrington some time before 1791, where he had set up a small post office and a mail coach service. The coach ran from Hull to Patrington twice a week, and although less than 20 miles distant, the journey took a minimum of 4 hours. This was at a time when the route to Holderness was via the turnpike road at Wyton Bar, Preston, Hedon and Thorngumbald.

Wings premises

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Transport before the railway

The business was very successful. John & Jane moved their premises to North Bridge Foot. This was situated at the junction of Witham and Gt Union Street.

Jane and John had at least 7 children, Thomas, John, Jane, Robert, William, George (died in infancy), and David.

In 1826, John died suddenly, aged only 49, leaving Jane to bring up the family on her own. Jane took up the challenge, and managed to continue running the coaching business with the assistance of her son John. He also ran The Holderness New Inn on the corner of Witham and Dansom Lane. John also developed a further coach route to Hornsea.

Into the Charterhouse

In December 1844, aged 67, Jane successfully applied for entry into the Hull Charterhouse. This was probably with the assistance of her youngest son, David. For many years he was a Poor Relief Officer for South Myton District.

However, in 1858 further tragedy struck when John junior died aged 46. His elder brother, Thomas, who in 1848 was recorded as having the Carpenter’s Arms and livery stables in Gt Union Street, took over the running of the business and The Holderness New Inn. He gave it up though, probably because of construction of the Hull to Hornsea Railway in 1862.

Thomas, moved to the St Stephen’s area of Hull, where he became an inn-keeper and coach proprietor.

Jane’s only daughter, Jane, married Samuel Fisher who ran a druggist store at Wilton Terrace, Holderness Road, next door to the ship’s chandler, and Quaker, John Good. Another son, Robert was a clerk at a commercial druggist. A further son, William, emigrated to Australia.

Hull to Withernsea

Ten years after Jane entered the Charterhouse, on 27 June 1854, the Hull to Withernsea railway line opened, cutting the journey time from Hull to Patrington to about ½ hour. This must have greatly affected the business that Jane had developed. However, a coach service ran to Patrington for some time after.

Jane died in The Charterhouse on 23 October 1861 of ‘Decay of Nature’ aged 83, and is buried in HGC with several members of her daughter’s family, the Fisher’s. The headstone was sadly removed in the 1970s.

Julia Hammond

Julia Hammond was born 31st December 1859 in Wisbech. She was the youngest of 10 children born to labourer, Christopher Hammond and and his wife Martha (Canham).

In the late 1860s the family moved to Hull, and lived at 3 Fanny’s Terrace, Clarendon Street. Her father died in 1871 aged 51, leaving her mother, Martha, to raise the children. Martha married John Hare in 1874, but she died in 1885.

Marriage

On 28th March 1875, when Julia was still only 15, she married George Turpin at St. Andrews Church, Kirk Ella. She was illiterate at the time, and simply put her mark. She was also under the marrying age and incorrectly stated her age as 18. Both gave their addresses as Wold Carr, which was approximately where Parkfield Drive is now, and would have been in the Kirk Ella Parish.

George was born in 1858 at Oxmardyke, near Gilberdyke. He was the son of Mark Turpin and Hannah (Simms) of Cliffe, near Market Weighton. At the time of their marriage, George’s occupation was given as a labourer. He later became a plate layer on the railways, eventually becoming an engine driver. They had 15 children, only 10 of which survived childhood. In 1881 the family was living at Cliffe, later moving to 13, Filey Terrace, Gillett Street, and then to 11 Gillett Street.

Julia Turpin

Training to be a midwife

Although having very little formal education, and being unable to read and write, Julia trained to become a midwife. This was at a time when only unmarried mothers and poor women actually gave birth in hospital. Prior to 1900, women in Hull were 6 times more likely to die from an infection in hospital, than at home. At that time, the majority of births in working class areas in Hull, were attended by a ‘local woman’, who would have experience of attending births, but would not be qualified.

Increasingly concerned about the infant mortality rate, the government introduced the Midwives Act in 1902. This meant that all midwives had to be qualified and registered. It took a couple of years to fully implement. Hull opened its first maternity ‘house’ at 569 Holderness Road, near Westminster Avenue, on 1st March 1905. In 1929, the old Sanatorium on Hedon Road, was converted into a Maternity home. However, there was a cost of £1 to enter the hospital, which not everyone could afford.  Even as late as the 1920s, many women still employed the services of ‘a local woman’ when giving birth.

2500 babies delivered

Julia was one of only a handful of certified midwives in the Hull area. With her navy blue uniform, and riding her sit up and beg bicycle, complete with basket, she was a familiar figure in the Hessle Road area. She would have been on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She went on to deliver over 2500 babies in the West Hull area.

Her husband, George died of an aneurysm at 17 Eastbourne Street 21st July 1929 aged 71.

Julia’s daughter Olive, and grand-daughter Sylvia, followed in her midwifery footsteps both serving in the Hessle Road area. Olive delivered about 3,600 ‘Hessle Roader’s’ before she retired in 1939, and daughter Sylvia delivered over 2000 babies until her retirement in 1958.

Julia died at 36 King Street, off Charles Street on 2nd May 1937 aged 77.

Both Julia and George are buried in Hull General Cemetery. The headstone no longer remains.

Jean Bartel

Jean Bartel

The story of the Hohenrein family of butchers and it’s tribulations during WW1 is well documented. Many of the family are buried in Hull General Cemetery, and are commemorated with an impressive marble monument.

The family originated in Mosbach, Baden- Wũrttemburg, near Heidelburg, Germany, Georg Frederick Hohenrein (1832-1902) emigrated to Hull in 1848, and established pork butchers shops in Waterworks Street and Princes Avenue.

This story relates to one of Georg’s great grand children, Jean Bartel, who, although not buried in Hull General Cemetery, has direct links to it.

Georg and his wife Katherina (Myer) had 6 children, 2 of which died in infancy. During WW1 the family suffered from anti German sentiment, and Charles Henry (1883-1974) changed the family name to Ross.

George William

Charles Henry’s brother, George William (always referred to as William) (1865-1933), married Julie Bierman. From this marriage they had a son, William born 1897, and a daughter, Else, born in Hull 3rd February 1898. Becoming increasingly concerned at the anti German sentiment during WW1, he emigrated to Germany with his family. However, as British subjects, George William. and his teenage son, William were immediately interred in the Ruhleben Internment Camp, near Berlin until the end of the war.

Jean bartel 2

Moving to the USA

After the war, his daughter Else, married Alfred Leonhardt Bartelmeh, and in 1922, the family moved to America. They had a daughter, Jean who was born in Los Angeles 26th October 1923. Jean shortened her name to Jean Bartel. She later won the Miss America competition in 1943. Jean was the first college student to be crowned Miss America. She worked on Broadway as an actress/singer, and later worked in films and TV. Jean once claimed that “I was never beautiful, but I had vitality and looked healthy”. She married William Hogue but had no children. She died 6th March 2011 aged 87.

Sadly, her brother William, who became a doctor, was killed in an allied bomb attack in Germany in WW2.

Emma Hodge

Emma Robson (Hodge)

Emma Hodge was the eldest of the 6 children of Henry Hodge and his wife Jane (Simpson). She was born in Louth on 27th November 1837. Her father was working there, prior to his retuning to Hull to establish his own seed-crushing mill.

Primitive Methodist involvement

The family lived on Holderness Road, near Williamson Street. Emma became very involved with the Primitive Methodist movement through her father. He had donated large sums of money for the establishment of chapels in Hull. He was also a friend of William Clowes. Clowes was one of the co-founders of this religion.

She was an active member of the ‘Bright Street Chapel opposite the family home. This chapel was one which her father had laid the foundation stone. He had also donated substantial monies for its construction in 1863.

Emma married Joseph T Robson (1838-1897) at the William Clowes Chapel in Jarratt Street on 26th May 1859. Joseph was a manager at her father’s mill on Holderness Road. He was also an active member of the Primitive Methodist Church.

Emma, (referred to as Mrs JT Robson), and her husband, were well respected, and regularly preached at local chapels. She also became a councillor, a rare event in Victorian England.

They moved to a house in Hornsea Parade on Holderness Road. During their marriage they had 3 children. These were Henry Hodge (1860), Edwin (1863) and William Arthur (1865),

Emma Hodge 1

Death

Emma died from Erysipelas, (an acute skin disease), on 30/6/1869 aged just 31. Her father was devastated by her death, and erected a large monument in the ‘Prim Corner’ section of HGC. The Reverend Joseph Wood wrote a rather morose book about her, entitled ‘Sunset at Noonday’. The 1870 ‘Primitive Methodist Magazine’ published Emma’s obituary. In it it is stated that ‘she was as near our ideal of the model wife and mother’.

Emma Hodge grave

Her husband remarried Ellen Mallinson in 1873, and had 2 further children. He died in 1897 aged 59 and is also buried in the same grave as Emma.

Rebecca Greenwood

Rebecca Greenwood

Rebecca was the grand-daughter of William Irving, (the eldest daughter of Jane 1812-1860), and her husband John Richardson Greenwood (1806-1874), the son of a Hull shipping merchant. She was born in Hull on 8 April 1837. She was baptised at the Fish Street Independent Church on 22 June, 1837. The family moved to Dollar in Scotland, and later to Crosby Garrett. This was on the edges of the Lake District. Rebecca spent her teenage years here. Her paternal grandfather, George Greenwood, was a lay Baptist preacher who lived in Haworth. He was also a friend of Patrick Bronte.  During the family’s visits to Haworth, Rebecca became friends of the Bronte sisters.

Emigration

The family emigrated to Australia in 1858, unaccountably, leaving their youngest son (Rebecca’s brother), William Irving Greenwood in Hull with her parents William & Mary Irving. Was it because he was a sickly child? We don’t know. He died of scarlet fever, in 1862 however aged only 11. He is buried in the family grave in Hull General Cemetery.

After the family emigrated to Australia, Rebecca married George Morrison M.A., after her family emigrated to Australia. He was the Principal of the National Grammar School, Geelong, in Melbourne. He was made the Principal on 7th December 1859. They had nine children. Rebecca helped run, and expand the Geelong College with her husband.

Rebecca Morrison played an important, though little advertised role, in the evolution of the Geelong College. Known simply as ‘Mrs Morrison’ to generations of students. She guided the boarding and domestic establishment that underpinned the operations of the School.

One ex-student wrote, “She always took a vivid interest in the boys at the College, and her marvellous memory for names and faces lent a great deal of charm to the visits of old boys, who came back expecting to find themselves forgotten, only to learn that Mrs Morrison remembered them and many little incidents of their school careers”.

George’s death

After the death of her husband in 1898, Rebecca continued be involved with the college. The Morrisons were to have eight children – five sons and three daughters. Rebecca died at South Yarra on 26 March 1932 aged 94 – three of her sons; Charles Norman, George Ernest, and Arthur Robertson Morrison having predeceased her. Geelong College still exists and continues to flourish.

Geelong College

Sara and Polly Smith

Sarah Smith was born in Hull in 1758, the daughter of Joseph Smith. She was baptised in Holy Trinity Church on the 31st August 1758. She also had a sister who was 10 years her junior called Mary, (Polly).

Sarah married mariner, William Robinson in Holy Trinity on 13th September 1785. She was obviously educated, as she signed her marriage certificate.

Matron

Sarah took on the post of Matron and House keeper of Trinity House on Christmas Day, 1794. In addition to providing lighthouses, charts etc, Trinity House were also trustees to a fund for relief & support of all maimed and disabled seamen, their widows, and children.

Headstone of Smiths

Remarkably, Sarah stayed in the post for 52 years, until her death on 21st November 1847 aged 90. She was succeeded in the post by her unmarried sister, Polly. She remained in the post for a further 10 years, until her own death in 1867, also aged 90.

Trinity House were obviously very impressed with the service of Sarah and her sister, Polly. “To record their faithful services the Corporation of The Trinity House have caused this stone to be erected.” The headstone still remains.

Sarah was buried in the same year that Hull General Cemetery opened. She was the 137th person to be buried there. A remarkable epitaph to two remarkable women.