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Finding Burials and Gravestone Inscriptions:
So many people write to me because they can't find out where their great, great is buried. In an area like Tameside comprising nine towns and a multitude of villages and hamlets, complicated by the various church and chapel denominations it can be almost impossible. Tameside is also split between Lancashire and Cheshire and there have been three family history societies, and many volunteer groups in the past recording these and producing the results in various formats.
In 1740 there were only 40 houses in Stalybridge which was then the Stayley township of Mottram Parish. Stalybridge grew exponentially with the cotton mills and with that the numbers of burials.
I already write a page about Burial Records in Tameside via my website: http://tamesidefamilyhistory.co.uk/burials.htm But, here I am going to spend some time concentrating on which churches had graveyards and where any of these have been recorded.
Mottram in longdendale
Mottram in Longdendale : ancient parish was huge and the graveyard there in six sections was surveyed by North Cheshire FHS in 1999/2000. These were available on Microfiche but are now downloadable for £3 via our Family History Society of Cheshire website shop: fhsc.org.uk Also 61% are indexed via Find A Grave
St Mary Magdalene, Broadbottom, printed and at Tameside Local Studies ql923
Stalybridge
Stalybridge St Pauls: originally formed out of Mottram Parish opened in 1839. It consisted of several areas and a very large new section. Probably the largest church graveyard in the country. These are beautifully indexed and recorded by George Clarke. A twenty year personal project and the bound up volumes taking up nearly a whole shelf in our Local Studies Library.
St Paul's is important since they destroyed all the stones about ten years ago and landscaped the area to create a car park. The remaining standing stones have been recorded by Rita Vaughan 263 stones 99% photographed https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2473132/st-paul-churchyard
St James, Millbrook: parish was formed out of St Paul's in 1863 the monumental inscriptions here have been recorded by Kathryn Young, another volunteer, and she has recorded photographs and inscriptions which she has placed on Find a Grave with any additional family information she has discovered. 885 inscriptons 100% photographed: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2411303/st-james-churchyard
Stalybridge Old St George: built in 1776 was originally a chapel at ease to Ashton-under-Lyne St Michael's both old and new churches ( built 1840) have been recorded by the church and are available to view via the churches' own website: again manually recorded by George Clarke, but the church itself has now added the transcriptions to their own website: https://stg.org.uk/family-history/burials-and-inscriptions/ 92% of the Mis are on Find a Grave
The church has also recorded their other parish registers and added them to Lancashire Online Parish Clerks there are links from their own website above. They were assisted with this work by Allan Smith (one of my group) and other church members.
Stalybridge Congregational Church: – printed and at Tameside Local Studies ql923
Wakefield road Baptists recorded by George Clarke printed at QL 923 also on Microfilm 1850-1950
Carrbrook Virtual Cemetery: There is no graveyard in Carrbrook, but Kathryn Young is creating a Virtual Cemetery by indicating where any Carrbrook residents are buried – again this is available via Find a Grave and is growing. https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/1109706 634 Memorials
Kathryn has also created a virtual cemetery of the fallen soldiers she has researched: https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/998427 57 Memorials
Mossley
Mossley St George: – has been photographed and digitised by Kathryn Young uploaded to Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2551941/st.-george-parish-churchyard 1719 graves, 95% photographed 90% by Kathryn and most of the rest by Rita
Mossley Municipal Cemetery: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2551941/st.-george-parish-churchyard mostly the work of Kathryn 2542 graves 100% photographed by Kathryn
Mossley Methodist New Connexion: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2673880/methodist-new-connection 232 graves added 85% photographed by Rita Vaughan
Mossley All Saints: – printed and held at Tameside Local Studies Library at ql923
Dukinfield
Dukinfield Old Chapel: This was the work of our Tameside Family History Group originally edited and compiled by Bob Kirk and available on CD, it is now downloadable via our FHSC Shop for £5, fantastic value since it also contains three rare books and the Sunday School books.
St Mary's Catholic Church: the first project our group undertook. It was our previous group leader's church and the Parish Registers were stored there, in less than ideal conditions. They were rebound and then digitised and the remaining stones recorded. Available on microfilm at Tameside Local Studies library The church no Longer has copies, but I have a copy of CD. I must make this available for our Society to add to our shop.
Crescent Road, Dukinfield: printed and at Tameside Local Studies ql923
St Lukes did not have a graveyard
St John's Dukinfield: see below
Archaeological day at St Johns Church, Dukinfield 29th February Four of us attended this Archaeological Conference. I enjoyed the first session where the Church unveiled their transcriptions of their Gravestone project to record and digitise their gravestone inscriptions. This is virtually complete and should be finalised later this year copies to Lambeth Palace, Chester Record Office and to our Society to go into our library at Mobberley. 92% of these are recorded on Find a grave.
Hyde
Holy Trinity, Godley partial survey at Chester Record office plus nine Memorials on Find a Grave
St Stephens no graveyard but transcript of graves withing the church printed at local Studies QL 923
Hyde Chapel at Gee Cross North Cheshire MIs on Microfiche and printed at Ql 923
Flowery Field at Mobberley Research Centre
St Georges - North Cheshire MIs - records at Mobberley Research Centre
Hyde St Thomas waiting to be scanned at Mobblerley
Other Areas of Cheshire
Monumental Inscriptions for Other Areas of Cheshire: There are many other Gravestone indexes and Monumental Inscriptions available to download from our Website Shop including all the Macclesfield area.
Municipal cemetery records for both Cheshire East and West have been added to Deceased Online https://www.deceasedonline.com Searching is free. If you already know the approximate date of death, and the name is not too common, you should be able to identify the cemetery and burial date of your ancestor. You would need to pay to obtain further information such as plot number and names of any others who are buried in the same plot.
The Church of England has proposed a new initiative to map all their burial grounds. Two churches in Yorkshire have been mapped as a trial and details are now available online : https://bit.ly/346bcSl
Denton
Hope Congregational 1837-1910 had a small graveyard partially completed by Denton Local History Society Volunteers
Christ Church - printed at Tameside Local Studies Ql 923
St Lawrence - printed at Tameside local Studies Ql 923
Haughton
Two Trees Lane- partially recorded by Denton Local History Society Volunteers
St Mary's - Allan Arrowsmith still trying to find out for me
St Annes - no gravestones apart for the Sidebottom Family and a former rector in the crypt
Droylsden
Fairfield Moravians - archive at Tameside Local Studies and at the Church - need to check with Janet Warre
St Mary's - all their records are still at the church - contact MLFHS
Audenshaw
St Stephens - Allan Arrowsmith believes that the Men's Fellowship at St Stepehens did some recording before the council grassed over the churchyard. 51% via Find a Grave
Ashton under Lyne
Ashton Christ Church - microfilm at Tameside Local Studies
St John's Hurst printed at Tameside local Studies Ql923 Some 78% graves have been photographed and added to Find a Grave
Ashton St Michael's a shedule of graves was recorded of the bodies removed to Hurst Cemetery before the Ashton Bypass was built. This is at Tameside local Studies Library
Albion Church - their records and archives at Tameside local Studies
Queen Street Methodists - burial register was lost but 125 gravestone inscriptions were recorded
Stamford Street Methodists - my transcript downloadable here: StamfordStreetMethodistChurchMIs.pdf
