Visiting Ann

Several months ago I was going over some old research and found a new reference on ancestry.co.uk. to my husband's 3xGreat-Grandmother, Ann Elms (nee Jones).

It was a record from the Register of Private Graves at The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery. The record gave details of the grave's purchase by Ann's husband, Benjamin John Elms, and notes Ann's interment in the grave.

I then found a second reference from the Register of Burials in the year 1866 at The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery. 

Once I knew that Ann was there I wanted to plan a visit to the cemetery. It so happened that we had a holiday to Europe planned later in the year so we included a stay in London and a visit to the cemetery on our itinerary.

I learnt about The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, an independent charity that looks after Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (the current name for The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery). I found a wealth of information  about the cemetery and its history plus an offer from The Friends to provide assistance in locating graves. 

Several weeks prior to our intended visit I wrote to The Friends and received a reply that I had been put on a list of enquiries to be dealt with by volunteers and that it may take some time to get help from them.

As we were driving up to London last week my husband asked if I had heard back from The Friends and I indicated that I hadn't. We resolved to visit the cemetery on our own and try to locate the grave by ourselves.  

Robert was anxious to honour his ancestor

After we settled in our hotel a few hours later  I received an email from the Heritage Officer at the cemetery who said "Do you have a copy of the burial record/s or at least a burial number for Ann? Happy to help but we need the grave number to assist. If you are visiting on Monday I may be able to meet you on site to help with the location."  I responded immediately. As it was after business hours we didn't expect an immediate response and resolved to visit the cemetery on Monday.

As we were heading out last Monday morning we heard from Claire Stack the Heritage Officer  "Thank you for those documents, that's all I need. I can do anytime from 10am today." We agreed to meet at 10am.

We received a warm welcome from Claire whose passion for her work and love of her workplace were evident. Claire had access to information not on Ancestry that enabled her to take us to the old area in the cemetery where the grave could be found. 

Ann's grave was somewhere among the ivy and brambles 

Claire and Robert started looking through the undergrowth and stinging nettles in the appropriate section and, after just a few minutes, Claire called that she had found it. There was a headstone but it was covered in ivy which obliterated the inscription.

Headstone covered in ivy

Mindful of the fragility of the headstone Claire asked Robert not to pull the ivy off but to remove the leaves and try to break off the ivy at the base of the headstone. This we did.

It appeared as though Ann's husband, Benjamin John Elms, had intended for this to be a grave for the whole family. The inscription at the top of the headstone is "The family grave of  Benjamin & Anne Elms of Poplar." I have not yet been able to locate Benjamin's final resting place in 1872. The Register of graves indicates that there is only interment.

The inscription revealed

Robert, a happy descendant

She is not lost but only gone before
I hope we meet her on a brighter shore
Where we shall never part again
Lord be it so - Amen Amen

Being able to honour an ancestor was a rewarding activity on the last day of our holiday.

Our thanks go Claire for her warm welcome and assistance in locating Ann's grave. We would never have found it without Claire's care and kindness. 

A Genimate in London

We capped off our genealogy day by spending a few hours and sharing a pleasant dinner with genimate and font of knowledge on all things English, Graham A Walter.

There's always plenty to talk about when genealogy is involved

Graham and Jill

Chasing down the Elms

We went chasing Robert's Elms ancestors at Tower Hamlets Archive and Bancroft Road library in London today. 

The archive is housed in a beautiful old building which needs an injection of funds for some necessary maintenance. The mish-mash of furniture is at odds with the heritage features of the building. 

The public area of the Archive

The four staff we encountered were most agreeable and took an interest in our quest. There were many local resources available plus PCs with internet access that were loaded with several local and commercial databases. As use of the services and resources at this facility is free we did not quibble about paying the 7 pounds 50 cents fee to use our camera to take images of the resources/.

In addition to the main research area there is an entry foyer that has a selection of new and secondhand resources for sale.

Entry Foyer

While we didn't find as much information as we hoped we confirmed that the Elms were landowners in Poplar in the early 19th century. We were also able to pinpoint the locations of Elms Cottages in Poplar where the family lived for several decades. We have several photos of documents to review once we recover from our holiday.

We thank the local authorities at Tower Hamlets for their commitment to local and family history and preserving these resources for future generations. 

20 Something Snaps - Open Day

On our recent cruise I asked one of the guest presenters, Celia Heritage, from Ancestry Pro Genealogists for suggestions on an interesting cemetery to visit in London. Celia suggested Brompton Cemetery.

It just so happened that Brompton Cemetery's Open Day was scheduled during our post-cruise days in London. We were definitely meant to visit that cemetery! On  Sunday 17th July, a hot day in London, a bus from near our hotel in Kensington dropped us at the cemetery gates. 

As we had theatre tickets for a 3pm matinee in the West End we didn't have time to dawdle around the cemetery or do the tour of the catacombs but we managed to spend a few hours wandering around this historic site. Of course we took many photos. You may recognise the cemetery from the Rowan Atkinson film "Johnny English"

Organised by Friends of the Cemetery

Impressive Entrance

Crucifixes were in abundance

While the plots around the main avenues were visible those in many areas were covered in weeds/natural vegetation. Apparently they receive annual maintenance. 

Catacombs in background

A Simple Grave

Military Man's Grave

Grave of John Jackson, Prize Fighter

Newer graves. Burial spaces are still available on this 39 acre site

Vintage hearse on display

There are many magnificent monuments

Locals are encouraged to use the cemetery for recreation but are warned "Please do not feed the birds and animals, it causes more harm than good."

Grave of Frederick Leyland, Ship Owner
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/brompton-cemetery/explore-brompton-cemetery/famous-graves-and-burials/frederick-leyland

A peek inside  the catacombs

The Dome of the Chapel. Unfortunately there was an art exhibition in the chapel so we couldn't appreciate the architecture.

Commonwealth War Graves area is mown. Thanks to CWGC?

There is a number of impressive mausoleums scattered through the cemetery grounds

A unique memorial

Headstones among the trees

Stalls along the majestic Central Avenue detracted from the atmosphere

Phipps Connection

Wandering down Old Street in London yesterday we came across LSO St Lukes, the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, a deconsecrated church which is surrounded by a garden with seats. As I was footsore we stopped in to give my legs some R&R. 

I thought St Lukes, Old Street sounded familiar and then a penny dropped. It was the parish in which my Phipps ancestors resided in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. Some 4x great relations were even baptised in the now deconsecrated Church.

St Lukes, Old Street

After our rest we continued walking towards the Covid Testing Centre to complete the requirements for our impending cruise.

Stumbling across Bunhill Fields

While our current holiday is not a geneajourney we will probably visit a few genealogy related sites like the odd cemetery (or two or more!).

Being mindful of not contracting Covid before our cruise we are spending a fair amount of time walking in the open air away from crowds. Today's walk took us past some interesting sites as we made our way to a Covid Testing Centre to be tested prior to our cruise. 

As we toddled along I spotted a sign to the Bunhill Fields so we took a tiny detour. The former burial ground is situated in a mostly residential area and provides a peaceful space for passive recreation.

Welcome sign

 It didn't take us long to traverse Bunhill Fields, a relatively small site that runs between two streets. Of course I managed to take a few pics as we strolled down the main path.

The information boards related the history of the cemetery and provided a useful map.

As is the case with several old London cemeteries the areas around the graves is rather overgrown but the paths through the cemetery are wide and clear. 

The graves of some more prominent residents were accessible. 

John Bunyan's tomb

Inscription on Bunyan's tomb

Defoe Monument

Daniel Defoe Inscription

More on Defoe

A William Blake inscription

William Blake lies here?

In the middle of the site near the famous graves there was a paved rectangular area with comfortable seating where I sat and contemplated on my good fortune in stumbling across Bunhill. 

A space for reflection

Trove Tuesday - Sydney to London

This time next week I will be arriving at Gatwick as a bleary eyed traveller who has survived the 23hours 45 minutes flight (if there are no hiccups along the way) from Sydney to London. While we moan and complain about our long haul flights we need to remember our ancestors whose journeys took way longer than ours do now.

A search of Trove gives us an insight into our ancestors' journeys.

1926 'FUTURE OF AIR TRAVEL.', The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), 11 November, p. 11. , viewed 15 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202209834

You can continue reading this lengthy article from the link above.

1936 'REDUCED FARES FOR AIR TRAVEL TO LONDON', The Evening News (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1924 - 1941), 15 August, p. 1. , viewed 15 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202476116

1935 'AIR TRAVEL', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 13 June, p. 6. , viewed 15 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30090881

1946 'CHEAP AIR TRAVEL PLAN TO AUSTRALIA', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 31 January, p. 1. , viewed 15 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2662022

The Measuring Worth website tells me that 220 Australian pounds in 1946 would have been worth $AUD14,246.00. in 2018. The Webjet website tells me that tomorrow I could fly Return Economy to London for  $1146 and on Qantas for $1522. A Business Class return fare is available for $5431. 

In comparison my Business Class flight next week looks like good value and I am sure it will be more comfortable than a 1946 flight. I know it will be faster than a flight in 1946.

By 1957 flight times were reduced to a mere 28 hours, much closer to what we have to endure today.

1957 'Sydney-London Air Travel Time To Be Reduced', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 3 January, p. 3. , viewed 15 Oct 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91231060