Tag: vandalism

A New Book

by Pete Lowdenin Books, General, History

There’s a new book. It’s called The Life of Hull General Cemetery Lodge and Other Stories.

The book covers the story of how the Cemetery Lodge, the jewel in the crown for the cemetery, was created but also the sad story of its loss to the forces of ‘progress’ in the 20th century. This building, the first commission of the noted Hull architect, Cuthbert Brodrick, was a creation in the Victorian Gothic mode. Its fairy tale castle effect was a highlight of the town. Yet within a a lifetime it was swept away.

Other stories in the book cover the struggle to create the Cemetery; the story of how the destruction of most of the headstones during the development of the cemetery in the 1970s took place and finally, a revisiting of a celebrated walk around the Cemetery by John Symons in the 1880s.

It’s available at Amazon and is priced at £10 post free.

The other books in this series are also still available from Amazon. These are a Short History of Hull General Cemetery, priced at £7. The War Dead of the Cemetery, priced at £10. Public Graves, Workhouse Graves, Catacombs and Crosses, priced at £7 and finally A Short History of Burial in Kingston Upon Hull from the Medieval Period to the Late Victorian Period. This is also priced at £7.

With the nights drawing in, what better way to spend them by reading  about cemeteries and death. Go on, treat yourself for Halloween. At the worst you can always burn them to keep warm.

The other books

 

Anniversary October 1875

by Pete Lowdenin General, History

The anniversary this month shows that the Company could, when it had to, play a mean game of poker. It’s opponents? Hull City Police Force. Here’s what happened.

On the 28th October 1875 the directors of the Company held an emergency board meeting. This meeting was called as a result of a letter they had received. The letter had come from the local Watch Committee of the Corporation. This was a committee of the Hull Corporation that concerned itself with law and order. The letter was signed by the Chief Constable of Hull City Police, Thomas Cook.

The letter stated,

Dear sirs,

At a meeting of the Watch Committee this day it was ‘resolved’, that the Directors of the cemetery company be informed that the attention of the committee has been called to the practice of the borough police being employed beyond the borough in watching the cemetery on Sundays, and the committee desire to call the directors attention to the matter, in the hope that the company will make their own arrangements or through the medium of the county police for watching the cemetery, that the borough police may be withdrawn.’

This letter, much like today, was one attempt to keep costs down for the Corporation. What better than to remove the police constables patrolling the cemetery, which was actually situated in Cottingham parish after all? The cemetery did not become part of Hull until 1885. It must have struck the Watch Committee members as a good way to save money without it harming themselves in any way.

This wasn’t quite how the directors of the Company saw it. Thus the emergency board meeting.

Raise the stakes

However, when in doubt, raise the stakes. The Company did. It’s reply reached the Watch Committee on the 4th November and it must have caused some members of that august gathering to blanch a little.

The chief constable’s letter and the resolution therein contained having been read, and the circumstances under which the police were first put on duty at the cemetery having been considered, from which it appeared that in consequence of complaints made to the directors about plants and flowers being destroyed in the cemetery the grounds were closed against the public on Sundays from the 1/9/1856 and continued so closed until May the following year, when a request was made  by the then mayor of Hull (W.H.Moss esq) that the public might be again permitted to walk in the cemetery on Sundays, and the Board  in compliance with such request again opened the cemetery upon the express understanding that the visitors should be restricted to the gravel walks and that the watch committee should provide sufficient policemen to enforce the observance of such restriction, to preserve order and to protect the graves, tombstones, plants and shrubs from injury.

And further more…

The letter went on to inform the Watch Committee that the Company had,

Resolved that inasmuch as the public who frequent the cemetery on Sundays ate almost exclusively residents  in the borough of Hull, this board  trusts that the borough police may be permitted to continue their attendance, to carry out the before mentioned restrictions, but should the Watch Committee determine to withdraw the police from such duty the directors hope that  timely intimation may be given of such determination in order that the public may have due notice of the Board’s intention to close the cemetery against visitors on Sundays. The directors are most anxious to continue every facility  possible for the admission of the public as the grounds are becoming increasingly attractive and they therefore venture to repeat that they can only do so through the aid of the Watch Committee as in the event of the police being withdrawn the directors feel convinced from past experience that the property of the owners of vaults and graves in the cemetery would no longer be safe from injury.’

Own goal

And with that missive, the ball was safely returned over the net and the Watch Committee suddenly found itself with a problem. What had seemed an easy way to make a cutback in public expenditure now looked like an own goal. The public liked and enjoyed walking in the Cemetery. It was quiet, restful and beautiful. And it especially enjoyed using the Cemetery on a Sunday as that was the one day the vast majority would not be at work.

So for the Cemetery to shut its gates on a Sunday would be very bad. That this would occur through the actions of the Watch Committee was not something that had been envisaged when the idea was thought up. The Watch Committee were caught in a trap of their own making. They could not go back on what they had said. Nor could they be seen to have caused the Company to shut its gates on Sundays.

On the 2nd December the Watch Committee sent a letter to the Company. It stressed that after consideration they would still allow the constables to patrol the grounds of the Cemetery. However the numbers would be reduced from six to three. The Company thought this was sufficient and there the matter ended. For once the Company had played a blinder. A rare occasion for an anniversary.

Anniversary September 1852

Vandalism

by Pete Lowdenin General, History, Volunteers3 Comments on Vandalism

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.

Anniversary September 1868

by Pete Lowdenin General, History, Volunteers1 Comment on Anniversary September 1868

The anniversary this month is unusual. It shows a more human side to the Hull General Cemetery Company board. I hope you like it.

I’ve often painted the Hull General Cemetery Company as hard-hearted. Grasping capitalists striving to secure whatever gain they can get. And I’m usually right. Which is where an instance where they are seen in a more charitable way should be highlighted. This is one of those times.

Plus ca change

Scattered through the Minute Books of the Company, one finds instances of damage done to the Cemetery grounds. Often these are thefts from graves. No, not bodies, but flowers. Sometimes whole bushes. Or property damage to the fences or cemetery buildings. In 1902 some young boys from the newly opened school in Thoresby Street smashed all of the windows in the Chapel. Well, all of the windows that weren’t already smashed, for the Chapel was already quite run-down.

In September 1868 the Board was informed by Mr Nequest, the superintendent, of further damage. And by a repeat offender.

 

3.9.1868 Withington HGC minute book

The Withingtons

Before we look at what the Board decided to do let’s take a quick look at John Withington.

He was born in Howden in 1850 and baptised at the Anglican church there. His father, Samuel, had been born in the USA but was a British citizen. He had moved back from the USA at some time. However he is a little difficult to track down.

 

Withington baptism record

Family research? Who needs it?

His mother too, Mary Jane Cramp is also elusive. In the marriage register she states that she is ‘of this parish’, meaning Holy Trinity, Hull. In the census of 1851 she states that she was born there. However there is no record of this.

Their daughter Emma, is stated to have been born in Hull. This may be true. However she was baptised in Keighley. So we can see that things aren’t quite straightforward. Welcome to family history research.

Withington marriage 1835

 

Samuel and Mary Jane’s marriage took place in 1835 as may be seen above. By the time of the 1851 census, 10 months after John Charles is born they live in Howden.

1851 Howden

 

Withington 1851 census

 

Samuel is the clerk, come station master, of Howden station. By the 1861 census Samuel has moved his family to Hull. They now live in Pearson Street, a nice neighbourhood. Samuel is a coal merchant dealer and appears to be making a good living at it.

1861 Hull

 

Withington 1861 census a

Withington 1861 census b

 

By the 1861 census above Emma is no longer in the household and there is an Emma Withington living as a servant to a share broker in Chorlton, Manchester. This, incidentally, is a possible site for Samuel in the 1841 census but our focus is drifting a little here. More interestingly is the arrival of grandson which may explain Emma’s disappearance. One must keep up appearances, especially in a good street.

As we know in September 1868 John Charles, who would have been aged 17, was apprehended stealing from the Cemetery. By the time of the 1871 census, which invited further information from the public, we can perhaps catch a glimpse of why.

1871 and the reason why

 

Withington 1871 census

 

John Charles’s name is above. The final column notes ‘Invalid from epilepsy’. Was it this that lead to his behaviour? Thefts that appeared to have no reason behind them. What on earth would he want the Cemetery notice board for?

Madness in all its forms

Epilepsy. ‘Touched by God’. A gentle way of speaking about this disease. Yet epileptics were also viewed as imbeciles, idiots, lunatics and, more obviously, problems. Lord Shaftesbury, the great philanthropist, saviour of the poor climbing boy of chimney sweep lore, had an epileptic son.  He voiced, with sorrow and disdain,  the general opinion of the public shown towards epileptics.

‘Epileptic fits are treated like madness, and madness constitutes a right, as it were, to treat people as vermin.‘

This usually meant confinement in an asylum where, because of the nature of the disease in that it was not curable, was for the long term.

As a young man I worked in an institution with people with learning difficulties. Their behaviour was portrayed as ‘challenging.’ That word covers quite a few things, none of them pleasant.

How would someone cope in that environment who only had epileptic fits occasionally?  What would be the end result of that incarceration? How long could that person’s sanity remain?

That the Withington family kept their son at home shows great love and courage. That the Cemetery Company showed some insight into the family’s issues is even more incredible.

The Cemetery Company shows its heart

The Board decided that they would not press any charges against the boy. Instead the Board communicated with the boy’s father. They said that if the father,

 

3.9.1868 Withington 2

 

The family must have maintained this promise for he does not feature again in the Cemetery’s books. However, this may be due to the fact that John died in 1874. A shortened life was often the fate of epileptics.

John’s death

John Withington's death cert

A weight was probably lifted from the minds of his parents with his death. The worry of what would happen to their son after their deaths would have weighed heavy. I wonder if their grief was assuaged in any way by that thought? I doubt it.

John was buried in Hull General Cemetery in  a family grave. He was the first occupant. By the time it was filled it contained his father, mother and a younger brother. The stone was removed in the 1970s.

A rather sad anniversary item. Sorry

Anniversary August 1907