Free Talks in Box Library, May 2024
Box Cemetery: A New Way of Looking at the History of Box
Box Cemetery: A New Way of Looking at the History of Box
Traditional style of High Victorian tombstones (photo courtesy Carol Payne)
Box Parish Council and Box People and Places have launched a new project to record the story of the historic Box Cemetery and the people buried in its grounds. For local history month in May 2024, they are presenting workshops at Box Library to commemorate their research and to consider new information. All sessions are free and open to all who hold a Wiltshire Library card (can be organised on the day at no cost).
This is a new way of looking at local history through the registers of burials and graves in the village Cemetery. The sessions are partly talks and also offer the opportunity for people to contribute details of family and friends buried in the grounds.
Thursday 2 May 10.30am to 12 noon: A visual tour of the Cemetery – Varian Tye and Alan Payne
Thursday 9 May 10.30am to 12 noon: Terrible tragedies of Box residents - Claire Dimond-Mills and Alan Payne
Thursday 16 May: 10.30am to 12 noon: War heroes and Commonwealth War graves - Ros Thomas and Alan Payne
Thursday 23 May 10.30am to 12 noon: Buried in the old portion of Box Cemetery – Alan Payne
This is a new way of looking at local history through the registers of burials and graves in the village Cemetery. The sessions are partly talks and also offer the opportunity for people to contribute details of family and friends buried in the grounds.
Thursday 2 May 10.30am to 12 noon: A visual tour of the Cemetery – Varian Tye and Alan Payne
Thursday 9 May 10.30am to 12 noon: Terrible tragedies of Box residents - Claire Dimond-Mills and Alan Payne
Thursday 16 May: 10.30am to 12 noon: War heroes and Commonwealth War graves - Ros Thomas and Alan Payne
Thursday 23 May 10.30am to 12 noon: Buried in the old portion of Box Cemetery – Alan Payne
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The chapel seen from the unconsecrated Methodist area of the site (courtesy Carol Payne)
Thursday 2 May 10.30 am to 12 noon: Visual tour of the Cemetery – Varian Tye and Alan Payne
One of the earliest public village cemeteries in England, the site is described by Julian Orbach in Pevsner’s Architectural Guide of Wiltshire as: “The cemetery at Box is very special, for its completeness, its peaceful, rural setting, the quality of the architecture and the special way in which the local Box stone is used.” We look at:
One of the earliest public village cemeteries in England, the site is described by Julian Orbach in Pevsner’s Architectural Guide of Wiltshire as: “The cemetery at Box is very special, for its completeness, its peaceful, rural setting, the quality of the architecture and the special way in which the local Box stone is used.” We look at:
- Its remarkable foundation, involving accusations of murder by the Box vicar and a cover-up by the church authorities
- Historic buildings listed on the site and the ancient trees still evident
- Its location and the layout of graves
- Significant graves, including Shell (the first burial), AJ Sylvester (Lloyd-George’s secretary), the Stewart family (related to Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden) and Rev Thomas Selwyn-Smith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Chaffey double funeral at Box Cemetery in 1935 (courtesy The Wiltshire News, 5 April 1935)
Thursday 9 May 10.30 am to 12 noon: Tragedies of Box residents - Claire Dimond-Mills and Alan Payne
The death of any family member is a sad loss, but some deaths are somehow more tragic:
The death of any family member is a sad loss, but some deaths are somehow more tragic:
- Remarkable headstones often mourn the deaths of children, such as Janet Slocombe in 1968
- The Box family killed in Bath Blitz
- The terrible Manor House disaster of 1963
- The grave of the Rising Sun deceased and the disaster of the same family a decade earlier
- “Podge” Hancock, the last Box quarryman killed in a stone mine accident.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celtic cross headstone of JDB Erskine, one of Box's most decorated soldiers (courtesy Carol Payne)
Thursday 16 May: 10.30 am to 12 noon: War heroes - Ros Thomas and Alan Payne
We investigate military graves from:
We investigate military graves from:
- The Opium Wars and the capture of Hong Kong in the mid-19th century
- Ordinary Box servicemen in the Boer War
- 11 Commonwealth War graves - 7 WW1, 3 WW2, 1 modern
- The Eyes-On, Hands-On Project
- Box’s most decorated hero
- Burials in family plots.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ornate headstones from early burials in the Old Cemetery (courtesy Carol Payne)
Thursday 23 May 10.30 am to 12 noon: Buried in the Old Section of Box Cemetery – Alan Payne
The stories of the people buried in the Old Section of the Cemetery include:
The stories of the people buried in the Old Section of the Cemetery include:
- The Magnificent Elliott Memorial with underground vault
- Vicar’s refusal to bury Methodist child in 1877
- Family of Rev Wilbert Awdry, author of Thomas the Tank Engine books
- Symbolism in the styles of headstones - angels, lilies, Celtic Cross etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Booking
We look forward to your attendance in these talks in Box Library. All talks are free but space will be limited, so please book in advance by contacting us or by phoning Box Library at 01225-742256 indicating the talk(s) you wish to attend.
All talks deal with a different aspect of the story of Box Cemetery.
Come and discover more about this innovative look at Box’s local history.
We look forward to your attendance in these talks in Box Library. All talks are free but space will be limited, so please book in advance by contacting us or by phoning Box Library at 01225-742256 indicating the talk(s) you wish to attend.
All talks deal with a different aspect of the story of Box Cemetery.
Come and discover more about this innovative look at Box’s local history.