You have no doubt already clicked on the ‘Everton‘ tab on the home page, as it explains my own personal role within the cemetery. This page relates to one of my favourite grave stories for the cemetery.
In a secluded part of Everton Cemetery, lies General Section 06. In the middle of the of the section, are headstones which date back, to times long before the opening of the cemetery in July 1880. These are a small selection of headstones, removed from ‘active plots’ from the much older ‘Necropolis’ cemetery in the City…
On 31st August 1898, Liverpool’s Necropolis Cemetery (Low Hill/Everton), was closed, due to an edict of the City Fathers, stating the unsanitary conditions spreading to surrounding neighbourhoods, plus the fact that the Cemetery was nearing its full capacity of 80,000 burials. The old headstones, were ‘dropped’ over the graves, and subsequently landscaped in the early 1910’s, to make ‘Grant Gardens’ a public park, which was opened by City Alderman J.R.Grant in 1914.
Headstones from ‘active’ private plots at the Necropolis, were removed to Everton Cemetery along with much older headstones and remains from Church Graveyards within the city boundaries, when public works, such as road widening or improvements to the riverside docks were undertaken in the early 1900’s, which cut into these old burial sites… This headstone is one of the aforementioned Necropolis stones.
The majority of standing Necropolis Headstones here at Everton Cemetery are in the centre of Section GEN6, however, there are a few of these headstones placed in other religious denomination sections of the Cemetery. Older ‘dropped’ Headstones and remains, from Churches within the City, (now long gone), are buried in the outer boundary sections of Everton Cemetery (CE32-38).
Thomas Welch
The Thomas Welch, mentioned at the bottom of the inscription, died at California Gully, Australia. Thomas was most likely prospecting for gold in the years during the Victoria/Australian Gold Rush of 1851-1893.
Full Headstone Inscription:
In loving Memory of
John Welch
who died 1st April 1909
and
Sarah Jane Welch
Wife of John Welch
died 23rd March 1922
“Thy will be done”
also
John Woodfine
who departed this life
May 12th 1846 aged 30 years
also
Thomas Welch
who departed this life
at California Gully, Australia
July 6th 1872 aged 52 years
Historical Information
Following the discovery of gold at Sandhurst (Bendigo) in October 1851, Joseph Crook discovered a gold nugget while searching for stray horses. This event sparked a gold rush in the area leading to the establishment of the township in 1852, the population quickly building up to 40,000. The Post Office opened on 1 August 1857. In 1862, the Borough of Eaglehawk was established, which included the nearby township of California Gully. After the alluvial gold was exhausted in 1893, reef mines were established, with 300 tonnes of gold extracted. Most of the mines had closed by the 1890s and by 1947 the population had decreased substantially to 4,090. In 1994 the Borough of Eaglehawk was amalgamated by the Victorian Government with four other councils to become the city of Greater Bendigo.
I contacted… The Secretary, of the Eaglehawk Heritage Society, in Australia (Bev Hanson), to source their ‘Diggers’records for Thomas and this one looks the most likely of the Thomas Welch’s…
Thomas Welsh a miner from California Gully died from consumption aged 45 years and was buried at the Eaglehawk cemetrey plot 199A on July 9, 1871. His was the only interment in that plot and there is no memorial on the grave.
Bev Hanson, has since contacted me and supplied me with Thomas’s official details of the day (see image). Many thanks Bev !!!
A typical mine-working in Australia