# King's Lynn Borough Council Cemetery



## hamishsfriend (May 11, 2011)

The cemetery was opened in 1846 as a non-denominational extension to one of Kings Lynn's churches and then came under the control of King's Lynn Burial Board in 1855, being one of the first municipal burial grounds in the country. 



























The site is bisected by Hardwick Road and covers some 20 acres. It retains much of its arboretum layout. The chapels (still marked on OS maps) were demolished in the 1970s. The northern sections contain burials belonging to the parish of All Saints whereas the burials in the southern sections belong to the parish of St Margaret. Some of the sections are on un-consecrated ground, and one section has been given over to Roman Catholic burials. 


























The locally famous engineer Frederick Savage (d 1897) was buried here. He began his career at sixteen, working for Thomas Cooper who was a Whitesmith and Machine Maker, and later for John and James Gill who were Millwrights and Machine Makers, where he gained a considerable amount of experience and knowledge about the manfucture of farm implements with the firm. After his marriage he took employment with Charles Willett, a "Brazier, Whitesmith, Iron Monger, Wholesale and Retail Dealer, Tinplate worker, and Bell Hanger". After Mr Willett's retirement, Frederick Savage set himself up in business as a smithy. The business grew and by now Savage referred to himself as "Engineer and Agricultural Machinist". Frederick Savage was appointed as "Justice of the Peace" (JP) and was Mayor of King's Lynn in 1889-90.











This Victorian tombchest has a decoration of colourful tiles.
















The boat-shaped monument marks the grave of eight Scottish fishermen who in 1875 drowned in a November gale, on their boat "The Beautiful Star", on the Norfolk Coast. “St Monance KY1298” is written on the north side of the boat, the text on the south side reads “Beautiful Star KY1298”.






This tall stele beside the path marks the grave of John Thew (d 1856) who in 1841 established the Lynn Advertiser & West Norfolk Herald.






Elaborate wrought iron railing, the sides fashioned into harps and its posts topped by crowns and crosses.











A tall Arts & Crafts marble headstone with the large relief of a wherry in full sail carved into it. It is signed Nett-Reed, Cambridge, and marks the grave of Thomas Gunton Bunn (d 1929). 






This huge Portland stone headstone resting on a raised double-width ledger, surrounded with integral low railings is the largest monument in the northern section of the cemetery. It marks the grave of Robert Cole (d 1866).






The tombchest marking the grave of Curtis, Commander Thomas RN (d 1855) is capped by a large iron anchor. The inscription reads “Native of King’s Lynn. He served his Country from the years 1793 to 1845 without intermission.” 






The headstone marking the grave of Thomas William Forster (d 1911) is decorated with the relief of schooner in full sail.






A Bath stone cross on top of a squat dome on a squat square plinth marks the grave of Walter Moyse, JP (d Aug 1870). The inscription reads: “Alderman and Mayor of King’s Lynn. Universally respected by his fellow townsmen for his kind and charitable disposition and his untiring efforts for the welfare of this town.”
Moyse was a wool merchant who at one time owned St George’s Guildhall which he'd used as a warehouse.


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## V70 (May 11, 2011)

Some very interesting grave stones there. I especially like the memorial to the fishermen, quite unique. Also very pleasing to see they are in such good condition and untouched by the vandals. So many grave yards suffer ill fate these days from people with little respect.


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## RichardH (May 11, 2011)

Oooh, lovely. Brilliant selection of photos.



> The chapels (still marked on OS maps) were demolished in the 1970s



Quelle suprise. The 70's was quite a decade for the demolition of civic buildings. Usually at the behest of Labour-controlled city councils, or so it seems to me. Were other colours of council equally bad at protecting civic heritage?

(note: I dislike and distrust all politicians equally, although some with more intensity than others. I'm not saying that Red=bad and AnotherColour=good)


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## V70 (May 11, 2011)

In Edinburgh (at least) quite a few years back, the council in all their wisdom ordered the "toppling" of hundreds of gravestones on the grounds of Health & Safety 

I think I'm right in saying that more recently, many of them have been re-erected and repaired by the council.


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## RichardH (May 11, 2011)

I'm sure this happened within the last decade or two in Leicester (might be misremembering the city). The city council decided to flatten the stones in one of the cemeteries for the same miserable excuse, but the action was subjected to a judicial review which resulted in the council being ordered to put about 80% of the stones up again.

Basically, the judge found that what had started as a reasonable action to reduce the risk to the public had turned into an action to "flatten them all now so that we never have to do this again - oh, and let's remove the border stones and grass over the plots too, for ease of mowing the lawn, erm, I mean, for reasons of Health & Safety".


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## hamishsfriend (May 12, 2011)

> Health & Safety



We've had a phase here in Norfolk (possibly elsewere too) in the not so distant past, when churchyards were 'tidied up' by removing gravestones from their original positions and putting them elsewhere (out of the way of lawn mowers) in straight rows, and by doing so, the locations of all graves were, of course, obliterated. This, IMO, is a form of vandalism.


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## Snips86x (May 12, 2011)

This shouldn't be allowed it disrespectful to the deceased and the family of the deceased. Not only that but if a headstone is the only thing marking the grave and its moved, who's to know where the original burial was. Health and Saftey my ass, just another excuse to fix what is not broken. Superb images BTW, I love the old iron anchor and the first image posted where the ship was carved out of the stone.


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## podman (May 12, 2011)

Nice report with some unusual maritime memorials/gravestones and wrought iron 

Have really enjoyed your series of graveyard posts with excellent images so thanks for these


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## hamishsfriend (May 12, 2011)

anpanman said:


> This shouldn't be allowed.



I totally agree with you. I have pictures taken at several locations here in Norfolk, of old headstones used for paving churchyard paths .... 

Edited to add a few pictures highlighting what has been said above

Croxton All Saints






Longham St Andrew






Norwich St Lawrence






Great Massingham St Mary






... and they've used footstones for paving the steps into the churchyard at Hedenham St Peter


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## BigRon (May 12, 2011)

*Fishing Vessel*

The boat which was lost was from St Monans, and one of a number lost in a severe storm. 

http://sites.scran.ac.uk/secf_final/danger/links/link4.php


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## scribble (May 12, 2011)

Fascinating photos ands report. I love the old garden cemeteries. The unusual memorials are wonderful, especially the tiling - I've never seen anything quite like that.


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## hamishsfriend (May 12, 2011)

BigRon said:


> The boat which was lost was from St Monans, and one of a number lost in a severe storm.



Thank you for your info and for the link! I had been wondering about the two names on the boat: it appears to commemorate the crews of two boats.


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## hamishsfriend (May 12, 2011)

scribble said:


> Fascinating photos ands report. I love the old garden cemeteries. The unusual memorials are wonderful, especially the tiling - I've never seen anything quite like that.



Thank you. I too love the tiled decorations, have seen two here in Norfolk so far (and one in Southwold/Suffolk with many of the tiles having fallen off).


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## banshee (May 12, 2011)

not seen gravestones with coloured tile inlays before.great carvings too


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## smiler (May 13, 2011)

Another nice one HF, the boat memorial was exceptional, Thanks for Sharing.


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## Foxylady (May 15, 2011)

banshee said:


> not seen gravestones with coloured tile inlays before.great carvings too


Me neither, apart from the ones in your cemetery reports, H. I was wondering if it's something specific to your area. They really are a delight.

A lot of the old cemeteries and churchyards in this area have had headstones removed and lined in rows along the edges, or just leant against the walls. I must say I find some of your pics showing headstones made into steps and paths to be particularly disturbing. I know that many are walked on inside old churches where they've been inlaid into the aisle floors, but the outdoors ones feel more wrong somehow...illogically so, probably.

Really enjoyed seeing so many lovely features. The wrought iron railing and boat-shaped memorial are wonderful.


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## hamishsfriend (May 16, 2011)

Foxylady said:


> I was wondering if it's something specific to your area.



Hmmmm, interesting, I really don't know. 



> I must say I find some of your pics showing headstones made into steps and paths to be particularly disturbing. I know that many are walked on inside old churches where they've been inlaid into the aisle floors, but the outdoors ones feel more wrong somehow...illogically so, probably.



The ledger slabs laid on the floors within churches were put there with everyone knowing full well that they would be walked on, seemingly people did not mind. I think it is something else entirely, though, to remove grave markers in churchyards. It does not really matter if they are lined up elswhere to form tidy rows, or if they are lined up against or integrated into a churchyard wall, or used for paving or for other purposes - fact is that once removed, they no longer serve their original purpose, which is to mark the graves of people buried in these churchyards. Remove the headstone and there is no longer any indication of where a grave was located. And this, I think, is wrong. 



> Really enjoyed seeing so many lovely features. The wrought iron railing and boat-shaped memorial are wonderful.



Thank you very much for your nice comments.


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