Volunteers Archives - Page 4 of 10 - Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

Hello, Goodbye: The Art of Knowing When to Leave.

February 25, 2022February 27, 2022 by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers10 Comments

Hello, Goodbye.

You may remember the Beatles singing the above song. Not perhaps one of their better songs but it perhaps sums up my position.

This piece is looking at my introduction to Hull General Cemetery, at least in a work sense, and my recent decision to step back from the Friends, and to some extent, Hull General Cemetery. In essence it means having the ability, like any good guest should have, to know when its time to leave. So, that explains the Hello, Goodbye title.

Some of this was also prompted by a recent visit from my eldest son and his family. He entered the loft with the aim of retrieving some of his older computer stuff. Whilst there he discovered some things I’d forgotten about which will feature in this article.

Cemetery work

I started to work in cemeteries in August 1974. I was 22. I’d worked in factories for since leaving school and I’d had enough. I wanted to experience pastures new. And not just metaphorically. I wanted flowers, meadow grass, trees rather than thundering machines and conveyor processes. In essence I wanted nature rather than the satanic mills.

No, you would be forgiven for scratching your head here. What bit about grave digging, apart from the obvious, and disagreeable ones, equates to nature? Why did I choose this job.

Well, in all honesty, I did not particularly want to be a gravedigger. I just wanted to work for the Parks department. My ‘good’ luck was that the only vacancy going at that time was for a grave digger. When I stood in the portacabin in what is now the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust garden in the Pearson Park yard that was the job that was offered to me.

I was asked whether I had a problem with doing this job and I said, quite naively, no. I was 22 as I said, and of course I was pretending to be grown up. I didn’t have a problem with the job probably because I didn’t think it through. And also I didn’t get the time to think it through as I was asked to turn up at Northern Cemetery the next day at 7,30 a.m.

Pay check

That was how I started as a grave digger. Here’s my Parks pay check which, back in those more innocent times, had to be shown to collect my wage packet every week. The wages were delivered to every site via a taxi. How the taxi was never robbed by some likely lads with stockings over their heads and carrying ‘shooters’ I have no idea?

By 1979 I had worked at the job for 5 years. I was pretty good at it. I’d overcome the nasty parts of the job. You take the rough with the smooth with any job. I had access to flowers, trees, meadow grass now. On the rough side I had gained experience with some of the less pleasant aspects of nature. You don’t want to know about that and I’m not going to tell you.

Boredom

But I was getting bored. Not just with the job but I was becoming very aware that I needed more stimulation. It’s something I suffer from and it has coloured every job I have had.

By this time I had become a shop steward. Probably due to this role I was conscious of gaining some respect from colleagues and management as a ‘bright lad’. My intelligence was being called upon more and more. And I enjoyed it too. I’d been offered the role as a foreman but my socialist principles wouldn’t let me take that step.

So, to offset this boredom, I transferred to Western Cemetery in May 1979 in a straight transfer. Well, two staff went to Northern to replace me and I went to Western. I told you I was good didn’t I? And yes, I know, the sin of pride etc. But, in all honesty and humility, I was bloody good at this job.

The job at Western Cemetery was basically the same but the vista was different. Western was more historic and, as I’ve said many times, the staff’s duties at Western included HGC too at that time. On the whole the transfer enabled the historian in me to be indulged.

Leaving for university

However I was planning for a life beyond digging graves. I had experienced some trade union teaching at Hull University and elsewhere. This enabled me to do my work as a union rep better. It was my first taste of education since I had left school, when, aged 15, I’d sworn that I’d never go in a classroom again. So, this ‘mature student’ thing I’d heard of became more than a possibility. University here we come.

I gained a place and the rest is history. However my workmates at Western decided to send me on my way in style. Here’s the card they gave me on the day I left.

They also bought me a pen and a dictionary.

Here’s the inside of the card.

And, as you would expect from me, I thanked them and said that, as they couldn’t spell colleagues, they should perhaps keep the dictionary. I was joking of course. They’d worked with me long enough to know that.

That was in September 1981. Over 40 years ago now. Sadly, three of those colleagues are no longer with us. I attended the funeral of the third of that group in January of this year. He was laid to rest in Western Cemetery. Another of that small group I last met in the mid 1990’s and the final one I last saw the day I received the card and took my leave of them all..

Shelf life

Goodbye.

Now to today. There is a ‘shelf life’ to us all. The major one is when we are born and when we die. But even within our lives there are other points where change happens. As the example above of me leaving the parks department shows, change happens. Those people who signed the card were my day-to-day companions for more than two years. We shared trials and tribulations together as well as the good times.

Now, I have no idea where the two remaining members of that group are or whether they are still alive. In September 1981 my ‘shelf life’ for being a gravedigger had run out. It’s just a natural thing. We do it all the time. It’s called living your life..

The ghost in the machine

As the Beatles sang in their song Hello, Goodbye, ‘You say stop, I say go’. Well I intend to do both of those things.

I now feel that my ‘shelf life’ with the Friends has probably run its course. I can’t put my finger on a specific reason for this other than my instinct that I have taken my part of the FOHGC as far as I can. I feel that the baton should be passed on.

Of course I will still help where I can. I can always be called upon to support the future work of the Friends. But right now I think the Friends needs someone more dynamic to sit in this chair. Someone with both the historical and also the environmental interests of the cemetery in mind when future decisions are taken. Someone with more time and energy than I possess right now.

Helen Bovill

At a recent meeting of the Friends it was decided that Helen Bovill should take on that role. No thumbscrews were necessary. A willing volunteer is worth a hundred times a conscript. She will make an excellent chair and spokesperson for the group. I’m sure that you all will wish her success in her new role as indeed all of the members of the FOHGC do.

In terms of the website I’ll be carrying on for a little while but that too needs to be passed on to more capable hands. When that change happens is not known yet but will probably be in the summer. I’ll still send the odd article in to whoever is editing it after that, and if they think it’s good enough they might even post it.

Anyway, thanks for all the support, help and kindness shown to me over the past few years.

We’ve all come a long way. Let’s hope the path is a little clearer and gentler for all of us from now on.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Anniversary March 1877

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 by Pete Lowdenin General, History, News, Volunteers2 Comments

This month’s anniversary is interesting. In May 1876 a discussion took place as to whether a clock tower should be built in the grounds or a clock installed in the lodge. The question rattled back and forth for months. By that September the decision was taken to install the clock into the Lodge belfry.

This repair work was to cost £94. 5s which was a considerable sum for a building that was only 30 years old.

The AGM

In March 1877 the decision was ratified at the AGM and the plan was to install the clock and also conduct some repair work to the Lodge as it,

This interaction is interesting in a number of ways. Firstly the decision to repair to the original design shows that the Lodge was something they were proud of. Somewhat different to their feelings in the late 1840s. Then it was obvious from the Company paperwork that the Board were heartily sick of the troubles the Lodge had caused them.

Secondly, it shows the Cemetery Company still wanting to present a good image of itself to the community. The placing of the clock was civic minded. Yes, they may have cloaked this idea with the line, ‘business of the cemetery’ but they knew progress was happening.

By this time, D. P. Garbutt had begun the development of the Avenues. This development, to the Board, was surely just the beginnings of the area the Cemetery occupied becoming more salubrious. Who knows where that may lead?

As such the installation of a clock was a smart move. It was civic-minded enough to appeal, yet it’s cost was small. In essence, a win-win situation for the Company.

Fixing the clock

The Company received a tender for fixing the clock from a Mr George Pickering of Prospect Street. This tender was accepted and the cost of making and installing the clock was £7.

The final cost of repairing the Lodge and installing the clock was a stupendous £124 10s. At this time the Company were still desirous of making a show and if that meant spending money, then so be it.

Later in its long life it would not be so happy to do so.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Vandalism

January 27, 2022 by Pete Lowdenin General, History, Volunteers3 Comments

A perennial problem cropped up on the first of June 1959. In a letter to the then Chief Constable of Hull Police, Mr. S. Lawrence esq. O.B.E. the problem was aired. That problem was vandalism.

The role of Cemetery Secretary at this time was held by the Company Solicitor Mr J.F. Payne of Payne and Payne, Solicitors. Here is the text of his letter.

The first letter

‘Unfortunately, the Company is almost impossible to supervise without a police force of its own, which the Company simply cannot afford to pay for and accordingly damage to grave stones and monuments is invariably reported late, which makes the job of the police force in detecting the miscreants, equally impossible.

We have, however, a fairly recent instance, some three weeks ago, where a smooth granite tomb has been interfered with and damaged, and accordingly we wonder whether it would be possible for any useful action to be taken by you on this recent complaint, but perhaps particularly, whether it would be possible to give the Cemetery just a little extra supervision by the beatman concerned for say the next three or four weeks.

If we may suggest it, as the gates of the Cemetery are now left open it might be possible for a beatman with a bicycle to ride through a portion of the Cemetery on his rounds. We think the most likely miscreants are teenagers.

We refer to the interference with a very smooth granite tomb. It does just occur to us that, if you felt the matter justified it, this might, even at this late date, bear some fingerprints of those responsible’

Naivety

The letter shows not only that vandalism was just as common then as now. So much for the ‘Good Old Days’

It also shows a rather touching naivety in the power of detecting criminals that the police may have. The request for a ‘beatman’, or a police officer on a bicycle, to ride through the Cemetery is perhaps a worthwhile approach. The taking of fingerprints from overturned headstones is quite laughable.

I suspect that this letter was sent more in hope rather than having a belief that action would be taken.

It also shows that the Cemetery was fast becoming derelict. This was a foretaste for the future and the decline of the Cemetery was already well established by the late 1950s.

The second letter

We have no way of knowing what the official response to this request was. Another letter of the 7th June 1960 to the Chief Constable showed that good may have come from the initial letter.

‘Dear Sir,

I understand that two or three of your officers have recently interviewed several youths in connection with damage done to trees and headstones in this cemetery.

It would be appreciated if you would forward to me copies of any statements obtained by your officers, or given by them, together with, if possible, any reported interviews.’

This letter shows perhaps a little naivety of legal proceedings, especially from a solicitor. He wanted access to police interviews and statements from people. These people had not been legally processed at that time.

However the letter also shows that some youths had been apprehended. So perhaps the initial letter had met with a positive response.

We have no further information on this intriguing line of inquiry. Sadly we do know that it did not end the vandalism there.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Cemetery Wildlife January 2022

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers3 Comments

Cemetery Wildlife January 2022 Cemetery Wildlife December

The year started with a very mild and sunny New Year’s Day – quite possibly the warmest on record for Hull. There was only a small amount of rain and some fog at the start of the month. It turned colder in the middle of the month and there was some frost, but it was generally very sunny and dry during the middle two weeks. The month ended on a duller but still dry note, helping the footpaths to become easier to walk on.

I noticed how the sunlight was able to penetrate right into the heart of the cemetery. It was actually getting more sunlight than the grass verge due to the position of the sun in the sky, having to rise above the tops of the houses on Spring Bank West.

Plants

I found a Lesser Celandine in flower on New Year’s Day, plus a few Brambles with flowers on them! Later in the month a few more Lesser Celandines were in flower, and I also found a Dandelion and some Groundsel on the grass verge.

There are lots of Snowdrops now starting to appear, helped no doubt by the fine sunshine, and they seem to be about a week earlier than last year. Very tiny buds are starting to appear on some of the trees, and there are a few catkins on one of the Hazels.

Insects

I noticed a few small insects in the air, and I also saw a Marmalade Hoverfly. Not surprisingly I didn’t see any butterflies, but I did see a report (from a reliable source) of a Small Tortoiseshell being seen in another part of Hull.

Birds

It’s been a quiet month for bird sightings in that there have not been any unusual or rare visitors to report. There are still plenty of the regular resident species around, such as Blue Tits, Great Tits and the much less abundant Coal Tit.

I managed to catch a glimpse of a Treecreeper. It started low down on the trunk of the tree and then quickly worked its way upwards, circling around the tree as it climbed. They feed on insects found under the bark.

A walk through the cemetery wouldn’t be complete without seeing one of our most easily recognised birds, the Blackbird. There are several of them around, raking through the leaves looking for food. The females are dark brown with a darker bill.

Much of the cemetery wildlife can be seen on the ground, including Wood Pigeons. There are lots of them searching for food amongst the leaves and shrubs. They can also be seen in the trees, eating Ivy berries.

The resident Robins are now in full song, marking out their territories and trying to attract a mate. They’re very early risers, often starting to sing a couple of hours before sunrise.

Also seen this month – Chaffinches, Dunnocks, Stock Doves and Wrens.

Fungi

There are still fungi to be found in the Cemetery even in January. The small and colourful Velvet Shank can even withstand freezing temperatures.

I also found some similar sized mushrooms growing on a fallen log and I believe these are known as Turkey Tail. Mushrooms can often be quite difficult to identify as their appearance can vary enormously over their sometimes quite short life spans.

When we look at mushrooms we only see the fruiting body of the organism. The rest is hidden below the surface of whatever it’s growing on. Some are so small it’s easy to miss them. The Coral Spot is tiny but its bright colour makes it easy to see.

From the tiny to the large, I found a mushroom the size of the palm of my hand mid-January. This is a type of Blewit.

I can’t say for definite if it was a Field Blewit or a Wood Blewit due to its poor condition but it was still a nice find.

Conclusion

January was a dry month with extremes of temperature ranging from extremely mild to the frosts you’d expect at this time of year. There was plenty of cemetery wildlife around as usual of course. But I couldn’t help but look back to this time last year though, when many of the volunteers and visitors to the cemetery enjoyed some excellent views of a Buzzard. I wonder what our surprise wildlife of 2022 will be? Will it be a bird or an animal or even an insect? We have another 11 months to find out!

Helen Bovill

Helen is a keen photographer and nature lover. She spent a large part of her working life at the Land Registry. She is a member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and various other similar organisations. Living close to the Cemetery for over 30 years she has seen the fortunes of the site fluctuate and has joined the FOHGC to make a positive difference.

The Cemetery Burial Records

January 26, 2022January 29, 2022 by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Talks, Volunteers3 Comments

Some of you may remember that, as part of the rehabilitation of Hull General Cemetery, some research and administrative tasks were to be carried out. It was hoped that when these tasks were completed it would help to raise the profile of the site.

One of those tasks was to transcribe the Cemetery burial records onto an Excel spreadsheet. This would then be placed onto this site so that people could search for their relatives or use it for research for other purposes. We were also going to share this database with the Carnegie Heritage Centre, the East Yorkshire Family History Society and also the Hull History Centre.

https://www.carnegiehull.co.uk/

https://www.eyfhs.org.uk/

https://www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/home.aspx

Still our aim

That is still our aim. You’ll be glad to know that this exercise is reaching the final stages. It’s about 80% complete. We would like to have it completed by the Heritage Open Days in September this year. Perhaps even have a ‘Grand Opening’ of it at a venue yet to be decided upon.

However, to make that date we would like to ask you to join us in finalising this project.

You will need your own computer and access to the internet. The actual work involved is light but it does need patience and attention to detail.

This project will be invaluable to the City of Hull as well as the professional researcher and the person who just wants to find their ancestor’s grave.

Here’s an example of a burial record so you can see what the job entails. Its from July 1860. As you can see the social history is apparent from the first entry. Rebecca Day dying of fever in Hull Borough Asylum. This building, the last remains of it having been demolished within the last two years, was set at the back of the present HRI. Just think how much more you could find out.

If you want to be part of this project then please contact the FOHGC. We’ll guide you through it and help where its needed.

Hold the front page!

Sorry, I’ve always wanted to write that and this is the closest I can get to it.

I just thought I’d let you know that I will be giving a talk at the Hull Central Library on Saturday, 19th February. The talk may probably be the last time I’ll be doing The Rise and Fall of Hull General Cemetery.

The talk takes place in the old Local Studies Library, known as the James Reckitt room. It starts at 11.00 a.m. and I think there is a charge of £1.

Hope to see you there.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Cemetery Wildlife December

December 27, 2021 by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife4 Comments

Cemetery Wildlife December

A few days after going to press last month, storm Arwen hit us. I’m happy to report that none of the cemetery’s trees suffered any major damage during that storm. A few branches broke loose but none of them were large enough to cause any damage. But at the beginning of December storm Barra arrived and this caused some more significant damage to one of the trees near the main gates. A large branch the size of a small tree broke off a Sycamore, blocking one of the footpaths. Luckily it didn’t damage any of the headstones although it did fall quite close to them. The volunteers quickly got it cleared it away.

December got off to a very cold, wet and windy start and there was even a slight dusting of snow in the first week. It remained wet for most of the month and the footpaths are still very soft and muddy. The fallen branches were put to good use by the volunteers, turning them into chippings which were used to repair the worst affected parts of the footpaths. Before the chippings were laid, some of the deepest mud was removed and put to one side, revealing many worms in the process. The Robins were quick to notice this – it is always nice to see the cemetery wildlife benefiting from human activity!

Trees and Plants

Most of the trees are now bare, but a few pockets of leaves are still clinging on to some of them – for example, on this Norway Maple.

I was surprised to see some flowers on one of the Pyracantha bushes growing along the grass verge on Spring Bank West, especially considering that it still had a few berries on it last month. It is in a sunny location though.

There are still some berries on the Rowan – a good source of food for the birds. Over the course of the next few years, it is hoped we can plant some new native trees and shrubs of the kind that have plenty of berries on them. This will provide food for the current cemetery wildlife and hopefully attract new species, increasing the site’s biodiversity.

Very few plants are in flower at the moment. I noticed a Dandelion and some Smooth Sow-thistle along the grass verge, and also some Hogweed, although it was a much smaller plant than usual, being less than a foot tall.

Birds

The highlight of this month was seeing three Bullfinches in a wild area towards the eastern side of the cemetery – please see lead photo at the start of this report. This is the first time I’ve seen Bullfinches in the cemetery this year – they seem to be only occasional visitors at the moment. But they do appear to like feeding on the seeds found in old Brambles and there are plenty of these in the cemetery. Several areas, where there are no headstones, are deliberately left untouched for the benefit of the cemetery wildlife.

There are lots of Wood Pigeons around, and I’ve also seen a pair of Stock Doves in amongst them. The Wood Pigeons are the larger of the two species. I mentioned them in my first report back in March – these more detailed photos illustrate the different plumage and eye colours much better.

The volunteers put up some more bird boxes a few weeks ago. I noticed a Blue Tit checking one out only last week. It seems quite early to be starting the nesting process, but it might just have been looking for somewhere to shelter from the cold.

Fungi

Last month I mentioned the intriguingly named King Alfred’s Cakes that one of the volunteers had found, and I managed to find quite a few of them too. I wouldn’t normally do this, but I removed one from the tree and sliced through it to see what it looked like inside. One of my reference books describes it as “Inedible. A folk remedy to relieve night cramp and it is called Cramp Balls for this reason”.

I also found a few very small mushrooms on the ground, some of which were growing out of the wood chippings laid earlier on in the year. Fallen branches can be good places for mushrooms to grow, and some of the larger branches have been deliberately left where they fell to encourage this. Fungi, plus the tiny insects that can sometimes be seen on them, are another good food source for the cemetery wildlife.

Conclusion

It has been a very cold, wet and dull month but there is still plenty of wildlife around. As I write this it is nearly Christmas; by the time you read this Christmas will be over. I hope yours was a happy Christmas and that the coming year will be a good one for you!

Helen Bovill

Anniversary January 1874

December 13, 2021December 17, 2021 by Pete Lowdenin General, History, Volunteers2 Comments

New Year’s Day is the anniversary of some interest. This anniversary of January 1874 shows that Gothic may be nice to look at but as to living in it. Well that’s another matter.

On that day in 1874, the superintendent wrote to the Board and asked to leave the lodge. The superintendent, Edward Nequest, had lived in the lodge since the previous occupant had died.

The previous occupant was John Shields. He was the first superintendent of the cemetery and had died in 1866. However he had requested to move out of the lodge some time before this and moved to a house in Derringham Street.

After Edward Nequest had moved on the lodge was rented out to George Ingleby, the gardener for the Cemetery. Michael Kelly, the next superintendent took on the lodge. He too found it trying and asked to be able to find his own accommodation.

Just before its demolition in 1925 the chairman had referred to it at the AGM as, ‘the old, perished, insanitary lodge.

So, it’s quite possible that although the lodge was beautiful to look at, it was not a great place to live in.

Nequest said in a presentation to the Board that,

‘that the Lodge in which he resided was very damp and unsuitable to live in and having requested the Board to provide him with a residence outside the cemetery and the matter having been considered it was resolved that Mr Nequest do provide himself with a suitable house and that the Company allow him £20 a year towards the rent of such house and provide him with coals and gas heretofore.’

Census entries

That the Board accepted this demand so easily perhaps shows that they were fully aware of the force of his argument. After all they met in one of the rooms of the lodge and must have seen how bad things were.

Edward Nequest moved from the lodge to a house on Spring Bank. In the image above, taken from the 1881 census, Edward then lived at 7, Zoological Terrace.

By the time of the 1891 census this address had been renumbered to 183, Spring Bank. Edward continued to live there until his death in 1920. The house stood on the corner of Norwood Street only a few doors away from Peter Hodsman, the master stonemason of the cemetery. Stonemason of the Cemetery

This image was taken by Chris Ketchell just over 25 years ago. In the 1980s it was a butcher’s shop.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Cemetery Wildlife November

November 27, 2021November 27, 2021 by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife

Cemetery Wildlife November

November was a mild but damp month, and rather dull too with less sunshine than the previous month. But when the sun came out it highlighted the stunning beauty of the Autumn colours in a way that took one’s breath away. Many people I spoke to during my frequent walks around the cemetery also expressed their appreciation of this colourful sight.

Plants

This seems the ideal subject to talk about first, with the emphasis on trees as they are looking so good at the moment.

The main tree in the first photo is a Hornbeam – it is one of the species where the leaves turn yellow in Autumn. It seems to be a good year for leaf colour because I don’t recall seeing this tree looking so vibrant last year. This is located on the southern footpath not far from the main gates.

Another species where the leaves turn yellow in Autumn is the Norway Maple. These trees are also looking very vibrant and colourful, providing a carpet of yellow and gold along the southern footpath.

There are a number of Turkey Oaks in the cemetery and their leaves have now turned brown and lie on the ground in abundance. Earlier in the year the volunteers planted two English Oak trees but these are only saplings with many years’ growth ahead of them.

This shows the difference between the two species of Oak. Please note the English Oak leaf is only smaller because it came from a much smaller tree.

The impressive Beech tree in the centre of the cemetery (also known as the “money tree”) has now dropped all its leaves, creating a carpet of copper around it. But many of the deciduous trees still have plenty of green leaves on them.

There are still plenty of berries on the Pyracantha and Berberis bushes. I make no distinction between native and introduced species because to the cemetery wildlife they are simply just good sources of food.

Mushrooms

From the largest structures in the cemetery, I now move on to some of the smallest. And if you spot them when they’ve only just started to grow, they really are small! They can be particularly hard to find amongst all the fallen leaves which often tower above them.

Mushrooms and other Fungi are often difficult to identify because their appearances can change very quickly.

See what I mean? They are another good food source for the cemetery wildlife hence the presence of what looks like bite marks on the second photo. I have seen several other small mushrooms but I’ve been unable to identify them with any certainty. But I can report that one of the volunteers found some Haresfoot Inkcaps recently, and also some King Alfred’s Cakes. Yes, that really is the name of a fungus!

Another fungus that can be seen at the moment, usually on fallen trees and logs, is the Silverleaf Fungus. It starts off flat and then develops into rows of frills and other protuberances.

Birds

There are no unusual visitors to report this month. There are plenty of the usual resident species around such as Wood Pigeons, Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Blue Tits. Stock Doves, Goldfinches, Coal Tits, Long-Tailed Tits and Dunnocks are also around.

There are also a number of Great Tits living in the cemetery. These are bigger than Blue Tits and slightly bigger than Goldfinches.

Adult birds in full breeding plumage usually have chests that are a much brighter yellow than this one. They can look stunning when the sun shines on them.

Insects

It seems strange not to be talking about butterflies but it is November after all. However, one of the volunteers DID find a Small Tortoiseshell in her house a couple of weeks ago! But it was nowhere near the cemetery.

There are still lots of Ladybirds around and wasps and hoverflies too. There are also plenty of tiny insects around for the birds to find up high in the trees.

Conclusion

November has been a good month for the cemetery, with the trees being the real stars this time. Birds are around in good numbers and it is always a delight to see new types of fungi. It’s the perfect time for a leisurely stroll to marvel at all the lovely cemetery wildlife! Cemetery Wildlife October

Helen Bovill

Ms Crackles

November 27, 2021November 29, 2021 by Pete Lowdenin History, Volunteers, Wildlife

Ms Eva Crackles was born in Hull in 1918 and worked as a teacher for many years at Malet Lambert School. She received an honorary degree from the University of Hull in the 1990s. This was followed swiftly by an MBE for recognition of her work in conservation. She died in 2007. Her works include ‘The Flowering Plants of Spurn’ and her major work, ‘Flora of the East Riding’.

This much can be gained by looking at her Wikipedia site.

However a little known piece of her work took place 45 years ago this month. She drafted a three page letter to the Leiusre Services Committee of Hull City council. In it she detailed her concerns for the ‘development of the Hull General Cemetery. She also gave a detailed analysis of the environment and ecology of the Cemetery at that time.

From a noted biologist this information should have been grasped thankfully by the Council. This report was perhaps something that they would and should have had to pay for. She gave them it as a gift.

Their reaction? Thanks but no thanks.

Here it is for your pleasure. I hope you enjoy it.

Forty five years later

Sadly, the biodiversity that Ms Crackles spoke of has decreased. Due almost entirely to the proliferation of the Sycamore, which is a poor tree with regard to habitat or food source for insects. Without the proliferation of aphids in summer it would be poor for birds too.

The Friends of Hull General Cemetery have raised this issue with the Council. The Council are in sympathy with the idea that many of the sycamores should be replaced with less invasive species such as Birch and Rowan but we were told that funding for such a scheme was problematic.

As such we just have to accept that what was once described by Ms Crackles as a ‘mixed deciduous woodland’ is, over time, becoming nothing more than a Sycamore plantation.

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk

Anniversary December 1914

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 by Pete Lowdenin History, Volunteers

The anniversary this month has striking similarities with events today in that it deals with refugees.

In August 1914 the United Kingdom, along with its allies, France, Russia and Belgium entered into a conflict with the Central Powers of Germany and Austro-Hungary. This conflict has become known to us as the Great War and it began with the Germans invading Belgium. The conflict lasted for just over four years.

However, like all such modern conflicts, the victims were not confined to the armed forces. Belgium was almost completely occupied by the Germans except for a small south west corner. The rest was under martial law and, like today, the civilians fled the conflict zones. Propaganda reared its head and graphic horror stories were circulated as to the tragedy the Belgians were suffering.

For, as these postcards show, the results could be terrible.

At the very least the loss of your possessions and home.

And the ultimate sacrifice was your life

In contrast with today, the more enlightened view of this period was for Britain to welcome these refugees. They were offered food, warmth, shelter and protection. Sadly, this was often given too late for some. Although they may have managed to flee from the Germans and escape the continent the damage for some was already done.

The minute book

On the 21st December 1914 there is an entry related to this suffering in the Company minute books. It reads,

‘The secretary reported that since the last meeting an application was made to bury a Belgian refugee (a nun from Antwerp) who had died in Hull. He communicated with Mr Jackson, the chair, who instructed (the secretary) to make no charge for the burial. The Rev Mother of the Convent of Mercy, Hull, where many more refugees had been given asylum and who are all quite destitute, expressed herself as being very grateful for the company’s kindness. The chair’s action was approved.’

The nun’s name in the Convent was Sister Marie. Her birth name was Therese de Diken.

Her burial took place in compartment 60, grave number 8249 on the 20th November 1914. As may be seen in the image below her name appears as the occupant of said grave.

However she is not the sole occupant of the grave. She was the first person in it but not the last. Obviously, as a nun, she would not have had children. And yet the other occupant is a child.

Her name was Matihilde Cortebeck. She was buried on the 29th July 1916 and she was aged only 14 when she died of consumption. Who was this young girl? That she was a catholic is evidenced by her burial in the catholic area of the cemetery. Another clue was that Moses was the undertaker. Even in my time Moses and Sons was always the preferred undertaker for Catholic burials. Her name perhaps shows she too was a foreigner. She may have been another refugee. Did she have no family? Her residence is given simply as Beverley so no clues there. Yet another mystery of the Cemetery.

The Terninck Foundation

Meanwhile let’s return to Sister Marie. She was the Mother Superior at the Terninck Foundation in Antwerp. This had been set up in 1697. As the Foundation’s website states today,

Fondatie Terninck was founded in 1697 by Canon Christiaan Terninck. He was deeply moved by the misery of distressed children in Antwerp at the time. When he found a foundling on the sill of his front door, he sprang into action. He founded a school and monastic community to take in poor orphaned girls and provide them with shelter and clothing. But these children also acquired here – and above all – a solid religious education and the necessary skills in needlework.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, the sisters fled with a group of children to Great Britain, where they stayed until after the war. On return, and in gratitude that there were no deaths during the war and the home had remained undamaged, a statue of Saint Joseph was placed in the front of the building. (Above the large doorway to the left)

Terninck Foundation

Pete Lowden

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.

petelowden.co.uk