DUR-NBL-L Archives

Archiver > DUR-NBL > 1998-12 > 0913455970


From: Geoff Nicholson <>
Subject: Re: Burials of strays
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 09:46:10 +0000


In message <01be2592$5ee87c60$>, Howard Chadwick
<> writes
>Hello gang
>While searching burial registers, on the Cockfield, Co. Durham burials
>1807-1840 I could not help notice how many strays there were. They were
>buried from as far away as the major town of Darlington [quite a haul in
>those days] and many other unlikely places.
>Can anyone tell me if there was a 'fever hospital' or the like situated
>there?

Howard:

That is a very interesting comment. While I haven't heard of
any fever hospital or of any other specialised one at Cockfield, it does
strike me that 1807 to 1840 is quite a long period so we should be
looking for some more or less permanent cause. From Cockfield,
Darlington would be the local "large town" so perhaps Cockfield people
would be drawn to it for work etc, but on their death their families
would prefer to have them buried in what may have been established
family graves back in rural Cockfield. During the period concerned,
town churchyards were notoriously overcrowded, and remember that
Darlington was a rapidly-expanding town (especially after the arrival of
the railway) and it was all served by the one burial ground of St
Cuthbert's churchyard.

An anonymous (I know the author but will refrain from breaking
his confidence) article in the NDFHS Journal of January 1978 (Vol 3 No
2) quotes H D Pritchett's History of St Cuthbert's:

"The churchyard conntains 2 acres 38 perches. Between 1798 and
1856 there were 10,263 burials in it, or an average 177 per year. If
the burials averaged one-fourth of this number for 600 years previous to
1798, there will be about 37,000 persons buried in it.

"The population of the town was 11,600 in 1851 and the death
rate was terrible, owing to the insanitary conditions and to the state
of the burial ground. It was as high as 68 per 1000 at this time.
Owing to the vast number of burials the soil was 4 feet high up the
pillars of the west doorway".

Incidentally, there were 568 tombstones remaining in 1911.
Only 107 survivied to 1971. No doubt there are less again today.

If it were a choice between that and pleasant rural Cockfield to
be buried in, I know which I would prefer!

Geoff Nicholson

Geoff Nicholson, 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU
* The Professional Family Historian for Northumberland and Co Durham.
* "Native Guide" Service - your very own personal genealogical tour guide
* "Off-the-shelf" pedigree service, etc etc. ** AGRA Member **
* More details on my Homepage: http://www.genic.demon.co.uk/index.html
UK Phone: (0191) 417 9546 E-mail:

This thread: