Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Liverpool Echo 15th July 1972


Mystery of the wandering headstone

A headstone almost 200 years old, found among shrubs in the church-yard of Liverpool Parish Church, has been expertly cleaned and polished to reveal an outstanding example of monumental engraving.

It has been established that it originally marked a grave in the churchyard of St Peter’s on the site of which Woolworth’s Church Street store was erected.
But how (and why) the gravestone weighing 2 and a half cwt found its way to the Pier Head stays a mystery.

Names

The headstone marked the St Peter’s grave of John Roscoe, who died in 1773 aged 85 and his wife Mary, who died before him.
It is not known if he was related to Liverpool’s most distinguished son William Roscoe (1758-1831) essayist, poet, painter, lawyer, botanist, M.P. and reformer William was the son of a Mount Pleasant publican.

Stagecoach

John was a Sadler and collar maker who lived at the corner of Sweeting Lane and Dale Street next door to the Golden Lion. He probably watched the first stagecoach from Liverpool to London leave the inn in 1760.
He had property and kin in Widnes.

His gravestone now intricately embellished, is now inside the Parish Church safe from erosion by the weather.

Kfd

Love some of these stories you dig up!

It has been established that it originally marked a grave in the churchyard of St Peter’s on the site of which Woolworth’s Church Street store was erected.
But how (and why) the gravestone weighing 2 and a half cwt found its way to the Pier Head stays a mystery.

What a great story from 1972!

From what I remember from my maternal g.father, a Liverpool cabbie from 1905 to 1955, the cab rank outside Woolies in Church Street was known as the 'bone yard'. When the site was being originally developed burials in the old cemetery were disinterred and reburied elsewhere, hence the 'bone-yard'. Years later later when more development was in progress, more burials were found. I believe much of the excavated material was used as infill in the Pier Head area. If a headstone appeared in that material perhaps it was thought better to place it in a nearby graveyard?

DS

I popped into St Nic's again yesterday looking for this headstone. Walked up and down the aisle's. Stopped to pay my respects at the list of names of those who gave their lives in World War One and Two. Had a good look on the floor and I could not locate this headstone in the Church. I then remembered seeing some headstone outside the church at the front and I went to look. The headstone that was there was not for John Roscoe, but as I turned around to look up at the Church there it was in between two plant pots. Took some pics of it, and as the newspaper article describes it is in immaculate condition. Just need to work out how to work the photobucket or I could just send it to MaryA and get her to do it for me.

http://liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/phpBB ... php?t=9817
Do it once and you will remember it forever.

Thanks Katie. It's a lovely head stone and well worth posting the picture. Congrats.