To Prove I'm Not Forgot: Living and Dying in a Victorian City

by Sylvia M. Barnard

With the growth of English cities during the Industrial Revolution came a booming population too vast for churchyards. Beckett Street Cemetery in Leeds was to become the first municipal cemetery in the country. This study relates how the cemetery was started and run, and describes the developing feuds between denominations. The author draws upon newspaper articles, archive material and municipal records to tell the stories of many of the people who lie there, from tiny infants, soldiers and victims of crime to those who perished in the great epidemics of Victorian England. The study throws new light on the occupations and pastimes of the inhabitants of Victorian cities, their problems with law and order, their attitudes to children, education and religious provision.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Paul Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having discovered the graves of a number of my ancestors in the country's first municipal cemetery, this book about the origins of the Beckett Street Cemetery, Leeds was recommended to learn more about end-of-life experience in Victorian England. I was engrossed in the book, which balanced attention to detail with an effective narrative style. I am sure that I will be returning to the book regularly for research purposes too.