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A Local Cemetery Historian’s Retrospective
I thought that I would depart from my usual pattern of offering historical vignettes of some of the illustrious deceased buried in the two cemeteries and instead present the reader with some of my more memorable personal recollections, out of many, that have charted my time as a member of the Friends group and former…
Coo, Pigeon Painter Edward Henry Windred joins our list of Notables
Continuing our series on notable people buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries, we here profile Edward Henry Windred (1875-1953) who was a renowned painter of racing pigeons in the 1920s and 1930s. In those days owners of prize winning pigeons often commissioned a painting of them to commemorate their victory. Windred was one of…
Unravelling the Mystery of Tannaker Buhicrosan buried Ladywell cemetery
{Picture, Caption: Drawing of a curiously reticent Tannaker Buhicrosan, c.1885 sporting a Chonmage- a traditional Japanese topknot haircut worn by men Source: Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News: (Wikipedia).} {Picture, Caption: Japanese Village, which was built in Hyde Park in 1885. Tannaker Buhicrosan had relocated 100 Japanese men women and children to London to populate his…
Database of Brockley & Ladywell gravestones and inscriptions now online
The North West Kent Family History Society has just this week added a large database of memorial inscriptions from the gravestones at Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries to their website. Although some of the data has been available for some years, this is the first time that the entire database as originally recorded has been made…
The Price Isn’t Right
Buried in the Brockley section, close to the Ivy Road footpath, lies Lt Gilbert Arthur Price, a British intelligence officer who died in a dramatic gun battle with the IRA on Dublin’s Talbot Street on October 14, 1920. {Picture} Republican leader Seán Treacy was also killed in the fight which was a key moment in Irish history,…
Margaret McMillan, childrens champion (1860-1931)
Continuing our series on remarkable people buried in the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, Mike Guilfoyle has kindly supplied this piece about Margaret McMillan. Margaret was born in New York in 1860 but brought up in Inverness. After being educated in Germany and Switzerland, she worked as a Governess. Whilst living in London with her sister…
A look back at the tragic sinking of the HMS Good Hope
With the hundred year anniversary fast approaching of one of Britain’s worst naval disasters, there is something quite mournful about the leaf covered wording on the side of the Hawkes family grave a few yards from busy Brockley Road. It records the death of Able Seaman Reuben Ernest Hawkes, son of George and Amelia of Woodpecker Road…
Heritage Lottery Fund Projects
FoBLC acknowledges the financial support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Ladywell Ward Localities Fund in making possible the project to record the history of a few of the civilian victims of bombings during the First World War, who are memorialised in the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries Here are some projects that have been realised thanks to that…
From Boxer Bombs to the Rock of Ages
Image is of an execution of three Boxers during the 1900 Rebellion. (London Stereoscopic Company) The Boxer Rebellion, a bloody uprising in China at the turn of the 20th century against foreigners, is a relatively obscure historical event with far-reaching consequences that nevertheless is often remembered because of its unusual name. Who exactly were the…
The remarkable story of the author of The Seven Sisters of Sleep: The Celebrated Drug Classic
A copy of Mordecai Cooke’s drug survey The Seven Sisters of Sleep (1860) was deposited in the Bodleian Library Oxford. When Lewis Carroll also known as the Reverend Charles Dodgson visited the library. The book had a chapter on the Fly agaric (Hallucinogenic mushrooms) Lewis Carroll “would have been immediately attracted to Cooke’s Seven Sisters…
Mr Hogg re-launches the Opium Eater
Thomas De Quincey was born in Manchester in 1785 to a prosperous linen merchant. As a young boy he read widely and acquired a reputation as a brilliant classicist. “That boy,” said his headmaster at Bath Grammar School, “that boy could harangue an Athenian mob, better than you or I could address an English one.”…
The Family Graves of Charles Cain. Proprietors of the Deptford Show Ground, the last Permanent showground in London
Charles and Hannah Cain in 1909 with sons Fred, Tom, Dave and Charles Junior (back row) and daughters Hannah, Daisy, Florence and Carolyn. (Copyright: Bell family archive) The following words were written by Angela Catherine Cain, in reference to her new book, Deptford Show Ground – the last permanent fairground in London During the 1820s…
Gus Manning – German and US Soccer Star’s family grave found in Ladywell cemetery
Dr ‘Gus’ Manning Finding the graves of long lost luminaries buried in Brockley and Ladywell cemeteries has kept me busily engaged over periods of enforced Covid lockdown when headstone searches have not always been possible. But as all cemetery burials are now digitised (1858-1999) and available to view via the Deceasedonline.com website (there is a…
How Charles Penruddocke found notoriety in the Newgate Calendar
Charles Wadham Wyndham Penruddock (artist’s impression) Source : Depart Hence and Sin No More. David Kidd-Hewitt (2018) Located alongside the pathway close to the entrance to Ladywell cemetery is found a much faded headstone on which the keen observer can discern an inscription of the wonderfully named Charles Wadham Wyndham Penruddocke, born in Bath in…
Grave of the Artist William Shakespeare Burton discovered in Ladywell cemetery!
It was with mounting anticipation that I searched for the last resting place of the artist William Shakespeare Burton (d.1916) on a rainy day in Ladywell cemetery. The burial record, accessed via deceased online after many serendipitous forays into past cemetery lives research, indicated that the grave number was F/229 and although this notation was…
Bringing in the New Year with Charles Dickens
The cruciform headstone of Marianne Layard (d.1879 whilst living in Blackheath) lies undisturbed aside a shady inner pathway in Ladywell cemetery. The Layards were a distinguished Huguenot family including two members with entries in the Dictionary of National Biography (Sir Austen Henry Layard included here and Daniel Peter Layard d.1802). Photo of Marianne Layard…
Sir John Simon, (10 October 1816 – 23 July 1904) health reformer and chief medical officer
Sir John was a surgeon and public health reformer whose work to improve the hygiene of city life helped establish modern standards of public health service. In an article for the South London Press, FoBLC historian Mike Guilfoyle has written about his story and its relevance to our current Covid crisis, you can read it here. …
Open House London 2020: Guided walk of Ladywell and Brockley Cemeteries including the Non-conformist chapel
Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries are proud to have been selected to be a part of Open House London 2020 On Sunday 20th SEPTEMBER at around 2.15pm there will be a tour of Ladywell and Brockley Cemeteries, including the Non-conformist chapel, led by members of the FoBLC Due to social distancing requirements there will be a…
Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries Open Day Sunday 7th July 2019 11.00am – 4.30pm
Author Sarah Crofts will be appearing at the Open Day at 12 noon to sign copies of new book celebrating the life of Thankfull Sturdee (1852-1934) Deptford Photographer. Members of the Friends group attended a recent guided walk and fascinating talk on the life and work of the Deptford Photographer Thankful Sturdee (who lies buried…
Jane Clouson’s tragic story is the subject of this new podcast episode narrated by Mike Guilfoyle
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In this podcast FOBLC historian Mike Guilfoyle tells the extraordinary story of Jane Clouson the 17 year old maid buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries, whose murder became a legal cause celebre following the controversial acquittal of the accused, the wealthy Victorian gentleman Edmund Pook. This recording was produced by Mark Lingwood, Tempest Productions. For…
Nunhead Cemetery Open Day Saturday 18th May 2019 11am to 5pm
The FOBLC have a stall at this wonderful event organised by the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery. There will be tours of Nunhead cemetery, visits to the chapel and crypt (which is not usually open), plus special activities for kids like face painting, we hope to see you there!
Remembering Private Elkins, torpedoed on the R.M.S Leinster 10th October 1918 in ‘ Ireland’s worst maritime disaster’
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Located on the berm that lies between the two cemeteries on the Ladywell side pathway is found the Elkins family grave. Private Thomas Elkins ( Middlesex Yeomanry) aged 36 years, Husband of Mabel Duncan Elkins, 39, Byne Road, Sydenham, was aboard the Royal Mail Ship ( RMS) Leinster when it was sunk by a German…
A Tribute to Second Lieutenant Hugh Gordon Langton- killed at Passchendale October 25th 1917
One of many iconic images of the Passchendaele battlefield in 1917 Passendaele (Passendal) is a small village five miles north-east of Ypres in Belgium and is the name by which the final stages of the Third Battle of Ypres are better known. Along with the Somme, it has come to symbolise the Great War for…
Grave of Circus Star SAMUEL LOCKHART restored
The FOBLC are pleased to announce the recent restoration of the Lockhart Family headstone in Brockley cemetery. Samuel Lockhart was an accomplished clown and father of George and Samuel Lockhart, who became famous elephant trainers in the Victorian era. Thank you for the continuing commitment the Music Hall Guild has towards such historic restorations…
Jane Clouson Book Reading by Paul Thomas Murphy
Paul Thomas Murphy’s new book about the extraordinary murder of Jane Clouson conclusively identifies the killer’s true identity. The FOBLC is proud to be hosting a reading of a new book about Jane Clouson, ‘Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane’ on Saturday 16th July from 2.30pm – 4pm at the Chapel in Ladywell Cemetery.…
Chief Electrical Artificer Charles Thomas Stringer remembered 100 years on from sinking of HMS Hampshire
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Stringer family grave in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries. Photo courtesy of Billion Graves Amidst the untidy contours of meadow grass close to the Brockley Road boundary lies the modest headstone of the Stringer family. It was a serendipitous discovery that led to the realisation that Charles Thomas Stringer with the rank of Chief Electrical…
War poet David Jones commemorated with maroon plaque
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The unveiled plaque to David Jones On Wednesday 2nd December at 67 Arabin Road, SE4 there was an unveiling of a maroon plaque to commemorate the Great War poet, soldier and artist David Jones (1895-1974), who is buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries. Born in Brockley in 1895 he served in the Royal Welsh…
‘WILFUL MURDER’ : THE SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA – MAY 7th 1915
‘ The departure of the Lusitania on her last fateful voyage, New York, New York, May 1915. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) Photo: Library of Congress It was with a considerable frisson of excitement that I chanced, when looking at unrelated family headstones, upon the overgrown lettering at the foot of a family grave in Brockley cemetery (close to the…
DEATH UNDER THE WAVES – GUIDED WALK SUNDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2PM – 3.30PM
sinking of RMS Lusitania This free guided walk will be co-led by FOBLC members Mike Guilfoyle and Peter Mealings and cover visits to family graves in the cemeteries associated with famous civilian and military maritime disasters , including the recently located headstone to victims of the sinking of RMS Lusitania as well as the Princess Alice, SS Yongala, HMS…
A Day of Surprises: Henry Williamson’s account of the Christmas Truce
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The Christmas Truce portrayed rather romantically by the Illustrated London News in January 1915 On Boxing Day 1914, Pte. 9689 of the London Rifle Brigade, wrote to his mother Mrs Williamson at ‘Eastern Road, Brockley, S.E.’ : “Dear Mother, I am writing from the trenches. It is 11 o’clock in the morning. Beside me is…
Wrenches, Trenches, and Stenches: a public art exhibition commemorating the start of the First World War
Ladywell Chapel hosted a two day art exhibition commemorating the start of the First World War. on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd August 2014. The First World War – or the Great War 1914-1918 was fought on 3 continents and saw 14 million killed and 34 million wounded. This year commemorates the 100th year anniversary…
The WW1 scandal of the sinking of Submarine E13
Following the recent cutting back of overgrowth by Bereavement Services employees in the Ladywell section of the cemetery we were particularly pleased to be able to locate the family grave of Able Seaman Alfred J Payne. The grave lies a few yards from the path that runs alongside the boundary with the Brockley side. In the early hours of August…
‘Gentle Courage’: Gertrude Eliza Williamson
The grave of Gertrude Eliza Williamson lies in the Ladywell section of the Brockley & Ladywell cemeteries. It is a simple grave which many people will have walked past without a second glance and the faded inscription on the headstone gives little away. The words ‘my dear wife’ indicate that Gertrude was married, but her…
David Jones Between the Wars: The Years of Achievement
The David Jones Society has commissioned another film about the poet David Jones who lies buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries. Beginning with Jones’s conversion to Roman Catholicism and his joining the Ditchling community in 1921, the film traces his various sojourns in England, Wales and France. Through interviews with scholars, artists, writers and…
British Lion and Great War hero
The somewhat run down family grave of Forest Hill Wine Merchant Bruce Beveridge Todd and his wife Phoebe lies next to the Dissenter’s Chapel in the Ladywell section of the cemetery. However that of their son Alexander Findlater Todd born 20 th September 1873 , known as ‘Fin’ to his friends, is sadly missing from…
Rev John Innocent (1829-1904) – Methodist Missionary to China and Friend to General Gordon
The Reverend John Innocent (1829-1904) was a trail blazing Methodist Missionary to China and friend to General Gordon. Many thanks to Mike Guilfoyle for the following account. Born in 1829 in Sheffield John Innocent was sent to work as a grinder aged 16 years and made up for his lack of formal schooling by attending night school.…
Brockley Cemetery inspires Florence And The Machine song
Thanks to Brockley Central for revealing the link between indie rock band Florence And The Machine and Brockley Cemetery. During the course of a recent gig Camberwell born singer Florence Welch said ‘It is such a pleasure to be back at the Rivoli Ballrooms and also just to be back in Brockley. I actually spent quite a…
Commander Archibald Buckle’s grave in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries restored
The grave of World War 1 hero Commander Buckle in Brockley Cemetery has been refurbished by members of the British Army Association. Sir Winston Churchill has referred to Buckle as one of the “salamanders born in the furnace,” who survived “to lead,to command, and to preserve the sacred continuity”. His history has been featured on…
George Lacy Hillier: Amateur Cycling Champion at ALL(!) distances, 1881.
As the Tour De France begins, the FOBLC remembers George Lacy Hillier who was the cycling superstar of his time. He was born in Sydenham in 6/6/1856. The attached a picture of him, was taken about 1878, when he lived in Chichester and raced for the Chichester and District Bicycle Club. Among various honours, he…
Hash discovered buried in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries
FOBLC stalwart Mike Guilfoyle’s investigations into the great and good buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries have uncovered another gem, the founder of ‘Hashing’. Before going any further we should explain that the ‘Hash’ in question is not the illegal substance but The Hash House Harriers whose founder A.S.Gilbert lies buried in the Brockley…
Tome of the unknown soldier
The World War 1 poet David Jones, who lies buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries, is the subject of an article in the New Statesman by David Wheatley. To read more click here In responsse FOBLC member and literary expect Mike Guilfoyle has written the following letter to the New Statesman commenting on this…
Ernest Dowson Event
There will be an unveiling of the restored grave of Ernest Dowson on Monday August 2nd at 2pm at his graveside in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery. There will be an introduction and a reading by Jad Adams, Author of the biography ‘Madder Music, Stronger wine: The Life of Ernest Dowson, Poet and Decadent’ followed…
Major Leslie Andrews
During the recent volunteer work day clearing up invasive saplings, two FOBLC members, David Platt and Michael Martin, who both have a deep interest in the Great War and the graves of the soldiers who fought in it, literally stumbled upon a grave covered in ivy. Uncovering it they found the following inscription which they…
SE4 Magazine
Check out the February issue of SE4 Magazine for a feature about the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries and the FOBLC. If you live in SE4 a copy will just have dropped through your letterbox otherwise go to http://www.se4magazine.co.uk to see where it is available
Commemorations from the First World War: the story of the Buddells
The Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries contain several monuments dedicated to the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen who were killed in the First World War. Those fallen in service are also commemorated in many of the family graves and two FOBLC members, David Platt and Michael Martin, have been researching this and uncovered the fascinating story of…
Take a trip back to 1907
One of our eagle eyed Friends has spotted this glorious technicolour postcard of Brockley cemetery in 1907 for sale on Ebay. A snip at £26 and rising! See the full listing at http://tinyurl.com/yqfunz