During our recent trip to England we spent our first day in Durham searching through St. Cuthbert’s Churchyard trying to do what my Grandfather had failed to do when he visited the site in 1953. He had returned from Canada to the city of his youth for one last time, trying to locate and pay respect to his first wife’s grave. She had died suddenly while they were visiting his parents at 26 Western Hill. It was a blow that neither my grandfather nor my father who was only six years old ever fully recovered from.
The churchyard today is in pretty rough shape. It is largely overgrown with many stinging nettles but was dominated during out visit with these pretty little yellow buttercup type flowers. The ground is very uneven with many of the graves fallen in upon themselves. Many of the stones are damaged, leaning badly or knocked over so we knew our work was cut out for us. What chance had we of finding a marker for Helen Charlton?
All we had to go on was a photo I once saw of the burial site. I remembered from the photo that has long since disappeared that the grave was beside a wrought iron fence. Still, so much time had past. The burial and the photo were from 1919. There was no guarantee that the fence would still be there, or the stone for that matter. The only thing to do was comb the entire churchyard. We knew it would take some time.
We were also looking out for My great grandparents who we knew were also buried in the churchyard.
The steps from the north road lead directly into the churchyard and a short pathway up to the church entrance in the next photo.
This was not my great grandparents church, but this is where they came when they died. They were Wesleyan Methodists but the Parish Church was the official burying ground for all.
An excerpt from my great grandfather’s obit:
THE INTERNMENT
TRIBUTE BY WESLEYAN MINISTER
The internment took place on Wednesday at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Durham where there was a large gathering representative of the varied trade union activities in the coalfield. Kindred bodies of mine workers were all numerously represented as well as City Council and the Magistracy and Wesleyan Methodism.
It was a great tribute to one who in many ways played a notable part in the life of the county in which he had spent the whole of his life. Three gentlemen present — Mr William Willis, Mr William Green (Langley Moor) and Mr S. Galbraith (Durham) — were associated with him in the first meeting of Brandon Urban Council.
Prior to the internment an impressive service took place in the Old Elvet Wesleyan Methodist Church, with which Mr Charlton had long been associated. The church was completely filled. Mr W. H. B. Harrison presented at the organ and played “O Rest in the Lord” as the coffin was borne into the sacred edifice.
The Rev. R. H. Ashley, superintendent minister, officiated, and the Rev. T. Harrison Burnett, now of Newcastle, gave an address in which he referred to the life’s work of Mr Charlton. The Rev. J.T. Waddy and the Rev. H. V. Sproson also took part. The cortege was preceded by a posse of police under the direction of Inspector Derry.
Mr. Ashby read the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my Shepherd,” and the hymns were “O Worship the King,” When I Survey” and “For all the Saints.”
St. Cuthbert’s Churchyard is in Rough Shape
The general state of the churchyard at St. Cuthberts is quite poor. Few stones stand fully upright, many have been knocked over and everywhere there is long grass and stinging nettles interspersed with buttercups and daisies. Many of the graves have collapsed and the ground is so uneven that walking about is at times treacherous. Still, it is a place of great peace and tranquility not far from the modern bustle of Durham city. We took our time and searched the entire graveyard before Ruth found my ancestors stones at the lower left of the view in this photo.
Gravestones Found
While I checked around the perimenter of the churchyard, Ruth looked around the middle searching for dates close to the ones of my ancestors. When my grandfather returned to England in 1953 a few years before his death, he was frustrated at being unable to locate his wife’s and parents graves. We decided that we would give it a try.
After considerable searching, Ruth discovered an area that had stones of the right age in an area which seemed to be set off from the rest of the churchyard. Likely this is where the Methodists were buried. We felt we were getting close.
I had seen a photo of the gravesite taken at the time and remembered a wrought iron fence beside a walkway. A walkway did run alongside these gravestones although the wrought iron fence was no longer there.
Again, the search was narrowed down by the dates on the stones until finally, Ruth called me over to see one stone in particular.
Digging away at vegetation which was hiding the stone from view, we uncovered the first stone. It was Mary Charlton, my great gandmother.
The stone seemed to be split in two and while I continued to uncover Mary’s stone, Ruth turned her attention to a stone of a similar colour that lay close by, face down in the grass. She turned the stone over. It was my grandmother Helen Charlton who had died earlier that same year.
We had done it. We had found Robert Charlton’s first wife’s stone along with his mothers.
We both found this an incredibly moving experience and it was a few tears in our eyes, that we turned Helen’s stone upright and returned it to its proper place.
Whatever else our vacation to England held for us, the trip could now be deemed successful. For two people with lifelong interests in genealogy, this was a huge moment.
We continued our search for W. B. Charlton but to no avail. This is not entirley surprissing as the fortunes of the Enginemen’s Association had wained and the glory days of the Union had passed. W. B. Charlton it seemed was not to have a stone but is likely buried alongside his wife and daughter-in-law.
Inscriptions
Helen Lottie
Dearly Beloved Wife Of
Rev Robert Charlton
Of Lemberg, Sask.
Canada
Died 15 Mar 1920
Aged 30 Years
In Peace
In Loving Memory Of
Mary
Dearly Beloved Wife Of
W. B. Charlton
Died 3rd June 1920
Aged 64 Years
At Rest
