Lynne About Loughborough

Monday, 19 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 19 Masonic

The majority of headstones that remain in Emmanuel Church on Forest Road are laid flat, close to the low wall facing Forest Road.

William Simpkin was born around 1780, and married a lady called Mary Ann. This was a rather popular pairing of forenames at the time, which means I haven’t been able to establish Mary Ann’s surname, nor the date of their marriage.

William and Mary's first child was named Mary Ann after her mother. The children that followed included Harriet born November 2nd 1814; Caroline born 22nd March 1818; Eliza born 23rd November 1821; Charlotte born 20th September 1823, and Edwin born 17th November 1825. The five younger children were all baptised at All Saints, the parish church, on 11 July 1837, some three months before Emmanuel church was consecrated and opened.

Here's the memorial stone:

Despite the stone being broken, the inscription is readable:

Sacred

to the Memory of

William Simpkin

who died Nov'r. 7th 1846,

Aged 66 Years.

He was formerly auctioneer in this town

and was much respected by a large circle

of friends.

And of Mary Ann, his beloved wife

who died Nov'r. 18th 1857, Aged 70.

She lies interred in Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol.

Also of

Harriett their daughter

who died Dec'r 22nd 1854; Aged 40.

She lies interred in Sr. Peter's church yard, Derby.

It was reported in the 'Leicester Chronicle' in November 1857, that Mary Ann had died at the home of her son, which was the Britannia Hotel in Bristol, which might explain why she was buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery, which is a Grade II* listed historic Victorian park and garden of about 45 acres. It contains many important monuments, and a wildlife sanctuary. It doesn’t seem to be open 24 hours a day, but does have a café in a glass pavilion, and a shop. Harriett was buried in St Peter’s churchyard, St Peter’s church being Grade II listed, and is on St Peter’s Street, right in the centre of Derby.

The top of the memorial stone bears the insignia of the Freemasons, although I haven’t been able to establish which lodge he was with. A beautiful rose creates a tasteful corner on the border of the stone.

Thank you for coming along on this journey through our cemeteries.

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 19 Masonic. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-19-masonic.html [Accessed 19 October 2026]

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Lynne

Sunday, 18 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 18 Metalwork

When I read the theme for Day 18 of 31 Days of Graves, I did think to myself, well, I’ll never find anything metal in our cemeteries, as I was thinking particularly about the memorial stones themselves, knowing that many of ours are Swithland slate, or Welsh slate, marble, or granite, to mention but a few. I have seen metal memorials in several places, including somewhere near Ironbridge – no big surprise there!!

So, wandering around our local cemeteries, I did spot holes where metal uprights had once been, and a few other oddments of metalwork. Of course, there are still iron railings surrounding the old cemetery on Leicester Road, and a lovely entrance gate, too.

So, here are some of the other things I found. In the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity, the monument to Richard Crosher was partly surrounded by iron railings.

In the old cemetery on Leicester Road there were also railings, one forming a complete rectangle around the grave of Agnes Ewart McGunnel, and remnants in front of the grave of John Walter Greenwood.

Meanwhile, standing upright next to the memorial to John Jones, local ironfounder, is a metal plot marker.

Over in the grounds of the Old Rectory there are memorial stones to people who worshipped at the old Baptist chapel on Wood Gate (demolished c.1976). At the top of the one which remembers John Angrave is a metal plaque, which is badly worn, but it appears to bear the following inscription:

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF

SOWDEN & CO. LTD.,

BUILDERS, ENGINEERS & CONTRACTORS,

TUDOR ROAD,

LEICESTER.

THE WOODGATE CHAPEL

STONES HAVE BEEN SAVED.

These are just a few of the examples of metalwork I found in our cemeteries.

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 18 Metalwork. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-18-metalwork.html [Accessed 18 October 2026]

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Lynne

Saturday, 17 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 17 Unknown

I am very sorry to be cheating with this theme. I know I should be posting a photograph of a headstone in memory of someone unknown, like maybe a mass grave for those who died of infectious diseases, or in military conflicts, but I have been unable to find any. Please accept this sole photograph of a gravestone in the old cemetery on Leicester Road, that is so weathered that virtually none of the inscription is legible to the naked eye.

I'm also sharing this photograph of a displaced gravestone in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity, which is along the wall facing Steeple Row. The stone is clearly broken such that all that is left is the date Feb 13 1777

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 17 Unknown. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-17-unknown.html [Accessed 17 October 2026]

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Lynne

Friday, 16 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 16 Animal

So, today I’m going on a bear hunt!!! Well, maybe not, but an animal hunt at least! Another tricky challenge!! The majority of animals I found in our local cemeteries were birds, and mostly doves at that. But, let’s begin with a real animal …

I have spent quite some time trying to work out exactly who James Ball was, but having identified several possible candidates, I have convinced myself that I really don’t know. From the inscription on the headstone, we know that James died aged 63, on 5th January 1899. I have managed to establish that his widow, Ellen Thirza, who was born around 1848 in Devon, lived on Beacon Road, certainly between 1901 and 1911, in a house with 8 rooms, some of which she let out. Again, we know from the headstone that Ellen died on 8th October 1921.

Military graves feature as a theme on a later day in this challenge, but since the Leicestershire Regiment have as their insignia a tiger, I thought it was relevant to include one military grave under the theme of animals. This particular gravestone commemorates Serjeant William Kilgour Miller, who was originally from Edinburgh. You can find a more complete biography of William on the Loughborough Roll of Honour.

The badge of the Leicestershire Regiment is a tiger. Apparently, this was awarded to the regiment in 1825 as a result of the role they had played in India, from about 1804. The inscribed tiger on the headstone has the word ‘Hindoostan’ in an arc from his head to the start of his tail, and the word ‘Leicestershire’ in a scroll underneath the body. I believe this earned the regiment the nickname ‘The Tigers’, and it is this name that connects to the Leicester rugby team. There’s plenty of information about all this out on the internet – see notes below.

I promised you doves, so the next few photographs include doves, bearing olive branches

Finally, had it been daytime, I would have spotted plenty of squirrels, but here's a photograph from the new part of the cemetery on Leicester Road, where one evening, on my walk back from Charnwood Water, I spotted a couple of woodpeckers.

See you tomorrow!

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Notes

Some links to websites regarding the Leicestershire Regiment:

The Imperial War Museum

History of the Regiment by the Regiment themselves

The National Army Museum

The long, long trail

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 16 Animal. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-16-animal.html [Accessed 16 October 2026]

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Lynne

Thursday, 15 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 15 Saint

I’ve spent quite a lot of time over the past few weeks having a really good look around our local cemeteries, on the hunt for graves that fit a specific theme. Now, you’d think, wouldn’t you, that there might be mentions of saints, or perhaps statues representing saints? I found angels, I found women, and I found things that could well have been saints, but I was unable to work out which particular saint was represented.

I was struggling a bit with this theme, until I decided to branch out from our Anglican cemeteries, and headed off down Ashby Road to St Mary’s Catholic church. I wasn’t feeling particularly hopeful, as having spent a good deal of time walking up and down Ashby Road [1], I’d never spotted a graveyard at the church. However, I was not disappointed with my visit!

No, there wasn’t a graveyard, but, along the perimeter of the church facing Hastings Street stood three memorial stones.

The stone to the right commemorated Thomas and Francis Reaney, while the one on the right was the one that really caught my attention.

The inscription reads:

Of your Charity

Pray forth Repose of the Soul of

Francis Heap,

who departed this life,

on the feast of Saint Mary Magdalen,

July 22nd 1852:

being the 26th Year of his Age

We have loved him let us not forsake him until by

our prayers we have introduced him into Eternal

tabernacles.

Requiescant in pace.

Thank you for reading the blog!

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Notes

[1] One of my earliest posts to this blog was about Ashby Road, and I've revisited the street and written about its houses (odd numbered, and even numbered), and its shops.

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 15 Saint. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-15-saint.html [Accessed 15 October 2026]

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Wednesday, 14 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 14 pre-1700

There are probably only about five gravestones in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity that are earlier than 1700. As such, they take a bit of finding! I have only one example to share with you today. The stone is laid flat, forming part of the path around the perimeter of the church, thus it is very badly worn.

The first line of the epitaph is unreadable:

…

body of WILLIAM

HUBBARD Iron-

monger who

died the 4th day

of September 1690

Aged 59

Please pop back to the blog tomorrow for another instalment of 31 Days of Graves!

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 14 pre-1700. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-14-pre-1700.html [Accessed 14 October 2026]

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site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 13 Famous

Famous? So what really is the definition of famous? How do I select memorial stones to share with you? We could mean people who are nationally well-know, or people who are well-known in their field, or people who are well-known locally. Here’s my selection.

Let’s start with James Logan, a footballer from Scotland, who played for Notts County, scoring a hat-trick for them in 1894. Jimmie, as he was known, died of pneumonia probably as a result of playing in the pouring rain in Loughborough in the 1896 season. He was buried in a pauper’s grave in the old cemetery on Leicester Road. In 2024, after a lengthy campaign and period of research, an engraved stone was erected in his memory. You can read more about this on the BBC Sport webpages.

In the same cemetery is the grave of Herbert Schofield, and his wife, Clara. Schofield was Principal of the Loughborough Technical Institute and awarded an MBE in 1917 for his services to education (in the main, the training of people in the manufacture of munitions) the First World War. That is a huge simplification of a long and busy life, which I promise I will do more justice to in some form or other at a later date. Here is his memorial

My third choice of memorial stone can be found in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity, and was erected in memory of William Woty, born in Hampshire circa 1730, moved to work in London, and then found himself in Loughborough. Woty was a legal clerk, but also wrote poetry. He was a companion and legal advisor to the 5th Earl Ferrers, Washington Shirley, of Staunton Harold. The incised picture at the top of the gravestone is a couple of books, one being open, a quill pen, and an ink vessel.

My final choice comes from further afield, from the derelict All Saints church at Dishley. Lying flat on the ground in the area which would have been the siting for the altar, the dry memorial stone to Robert Bakewell, died 1778 is probably the father of the Robert Bakewell, the well-known agriculturalist. The equally unreadable wet stone is, I believe, the memorial to the latter. Both were taken in 2024. The modern plaque is wall-mounted, and was taken in 2025.

There are a couple of earlier blogposts related to Robert Bakewell - the 300th anniversary of Bakewell's birth; photographs of his home, and a little bit about the man.

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 13 Famous. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-13-famous.html [Accessed 13 October 2026]

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NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Monday, 12 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 12 Mistake

Spotting a mistake on an engraved headstone must be one of the most difficult things to do, as unless it’s an obvious spelling mistake, it might not be apparent that it’s a mistake. And, of course, spelling changes over time, so what might have been ‘correct’ last century, might not be today.

I have no personal connection with any of the memorials I have been looking at for this challenge, so I am not going to be aware if there is perhaps a mistake with birth or death dates, unless I delve into the history of the person commemorated, which I haven't always got time to do.

So, I decided to take a different approach …

Firstly, here’s an example of how spelling has changed over the years.

Here

lies the body of

Mary the Wife of

Joseph Brookes

of the Forrest Lane

She departed this Life

The 8th day of March

1746-7 Aged 32 Years.

Forrest Lane was most definitely once known as this, but it is now familiar to us as Forest Road. What I can’t quite explain is the hyphen in the year of Mary’s death – 1746-7. At first glance, one would think it’s to do with the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, but that happened in 1752 (although the legislation to make the change was passed in 1750). It is more common, I believe, to use a forward slash to indicate a date falling around the time of the change, or a fraction, usually 1/2, a system that is referred to as double dating. Perhaps this memorial stone to Mary Brookes wasn’t made at the time of her death, but perhaps later, maybe when her husband, Joseph, died? Hmmmm, a bit of a puzzle.

Of course, it might be possible to prevent mistakes being made at the point at which the stone is being engraved. When the headstones were installed, they were standing upright, with a portion being buried in the soil, deep enough to anchor the structure. It was therefore ideal for the stonemason, or more likely the apprentice, to practice on the area which would be buried. Of course, since the re-arrangement of the headstones at the church of All Saints with Holy Trinity, some of these stones are now lying flat, and those practice engravings can now be seen. Here’s a couple of examples: in the first, the engraver seems to have practised the whole of the alphabet, while in the second example, only selected letters have been tried out.

Thank you for reading the blog! I have no doubt that I have made some spelling errors, or more likely missed out some words, trying to type too quickly!

Pop back tomorrow for more grave stories!

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 12 Mistake. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-12-mistake.html [Accessed 12 October 2026]

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site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Lynne About Loughborough

Pages

Monday, 19 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 19 Masonic

Sunday, 18 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 18 Metalwork

Saturday, 17 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 17 Unknown

Friday, 16 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 16 Animal

Thursday, 15 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 15 Saint

Wednesday, 14 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 14 pre-1700

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 13 Famous

Monday, 12 October 2026

31 Days of Graves Day 12 Mistake

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