Exploring Beeston's Churchyard -

Family historians are particularly interested in finding memorial stones which give further clues for their family tree. That's important but there is much more to be discovered from these memorials, which can lead to revealing the wider stories of those they remember - and, effectively, the community in which they live. Recording and making available what is there is an important step in help this process along and preserves the vulnerable evidence that is there now but may not be there for ever.

To that end, this page provides an index and links to details of all the memorials which existed when they were surveyed in 1987, by a WEA class under the direction of Dr Stephen Wallwork, which was then checked against earlier partial surveys by David Hallam and by a group led by the late David Driver. A transcription of the 1987 survey was published in 1989 by Dr Wallwork and David Hallam. For continuity purposes, the stone numbers in that earlier survey have been retained in the image numbers used here.

The stones were photographed in more recent years so, mainly for that reason, there are gaps where the surveyed stones can no longer be found or have been severely damaged or eroded. These images are deliberately fairly large so they are suitable for inclusion in personal family histories (Use for commercial purposes or re-publishing is explicitly prohibited).

Each memorial has an attempted link to the Burial Register transcription. Currently, only the first name on the memorial is so linked and as the transcription is not yet complete, not all related register entries will be available. As the links are to the nearest year, it may be necessary to scroll slightly to see the related entry. Memorials may remember persons who were not actually buried in the churchyard; in this case, no Register entry will normally exist. The "More Info" links provide access to a growing number of notes on many of the individuals and their families.

Start exploring by selecting a name from the list below.