Death at Highfield Infirmary

[trw]

Help please - I am trying to trace the grave of my Great Grandfather, Edward Ward, who died at the Highfield Infirmary (I believe it is now Broadgreen Hospital) on 4th July 1912. The family was living at 89 Pitt St, Liverpool 1 at the time, a long way from the Infirmary. Is there such a thing as a record of handover of the body and burial from the hospital, or is it a case of there being a central register of burials for Liverpool that will give the name of a cemetery and a plot. Any help I can get will be gratefully received.

[MaryA]

Edward Ward was buried in Walton Park Cemetery on 9th July, age 54 years. There is a notation beside the entry "W.15". As other entries have either the same or a similar note I suspect this is the grave number, but as there are others in the same grave it will be a general rather than a private grave.

If you wish to make enquiries about the grave, there is some inforrmation on the last message in this post to help you http://liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/phpBB ... alton+park

[trw]

Mary A - many thanks for your very quick response that helps so much in my family tree research. With regard to these common graves at Walton Park, how big was the plot, i.e. typically how many people shared the grave? Is it right to assume that the people buried in these common plots were buried in coffins and not just a shroud. sorry to be mawkish.

[MaryA]

Your questions are quite reasonable, I found the easiest way to answer one about the number of burials in one grave was to check the previous pages for entries with the same number - they varied however, I counted 14 entries with the number U.15, so I suspect there could be up to about 15 in each grave.

Whether they were in coffins or shrouds I don't know, but would have suspected coffins, I hope somebody else will pop up with that answer for both of us. I think Workhouse Records might detail expenditure in connection with this.

[MaryA]

Just had a word with another forum member with a lot of knowledge about such matters and the answer to your other query is that all burials would have taken place in standard six foot coffins.