Cemeteries and Graveyards - A Guide for Local and Family Historians in England and Wales

Cemeteries and Graveyards - A Guide for Local and Family Historians in England and Wales written by Celia Heritage and published by Pen & Sword Books - £15.99 - Softcover - Pages 248

This comprehensive and fascinating guide from genealogist and historian CELIA HERITAGE will prove indispensable for both local and family historians. A wide-ranging examination of historical and archaeological findings means that the book will also appeal to anyone with an interest in death and burial.

Celia throws light on changing social attitudes to death and burial from pre-historic times to the modern-day, investigates the origins and evolution of cemeteries and graveyards, and discusses the many different types of graves and memorials as well as looking at how memorial designs have changed.

One chapter takes an in-depth look at the origins of the parish churchyard, while another looks at graveyards associated with nonconformist churches and institutions, including workhouses, asylums, hospitals and gaols.

Celia details a wide range of online and offline sources that will help locate burials and memorials, also offering vital advice regarding good research practice. There is plenty of detail about less well-known genealogy sources such as records relating to re-interment, undertakers’ and stonemasons’ records, together with better known sources such as burial registers and memorial inscriptions.

Throughout, there is a wide range of hands-on case studies which bring the subject to life and put it right into the hands of the researcher. This is far more than just genealogy, and Celia portrays this fascinating subject from the view of both historian and archaeologist.

This genealogy series from Pen & Sword should really be praised very highly, but what they have done is rather than lump everything into one book, the process has been broken into its important sections and each section is allowed to shine. This allows all the important details to be conveyed to the reader and supported by a very comprehensive contact/link section that would really be too vast for one book. This book about cemeteries and graveyards is brilliant, because who doesn’t love walking around a graveyard learning all the information you can acquire there. A great book and a perfect addition to the series.