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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 12: Notable woman
From a visit to Llanaber Church, Barmouth, Wales in the summer, the grave of Fanny Talbot (1824-1917). A friend of John Ruskin and a generous philanthropist, she is noted for gifting the first property, Dinas Oleu, to the newly formed National Trust in 1895.

The grave monument of Fanny Talbot (1824-1917) - a Celtic style grey stone cross with white lettering on a green plinth, recently renovated - stands in the overgrown burial ground of Llanaber Church, Barmouth, Gwynedd. Wales, with the sea beyond.

Black and white portrait photograph of Fanny Talbot nee Brown (1824-1917). Fanny was a landowner and philanthropist, and a friend and correspondent of John Ruskin. Born in Bridgwater, Somerset, from 1874 she lived in Barmouth, Gwynedd, Wales. She is noted for gifting the first property, Dinas Oleu, to the newly formed National Trust in 1895.

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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 2d

Sunday read: "And so I stand beside the latch, comforted by the collective thumbprint. Through the imperceptible hollowing of its burnished curve, it cradles an immortality defined through touch" www.digest.andymarshall.co/andy-marshal...

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

The cut off date for CWGC war graves was 31 August 1921. So there was acknowledgement to a degree, but not enough for some.

Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

There is something very powerful about telling the stories at the graveside. When I take high school history classes on tours, some of them are in tears. They relate very strongly to those young lads, not much older them them, who went to their school, maybe even lived in their street...

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Scotland's Churches Trust @scotchurchestrust.bsky.social · 2d

Day 11 of #31DaysOfGraves - Military

Many churches in Scotland house markers that once marked the graves of fallen soldiers of World War One until they were replaced by the permanent headstones erected by the (now) CWGC.

This one in Clackmannan Parish Church once marked Cpt Robert Bruce's grave.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

As a student of Glasgow University, he is also listed on the memorial in the GU chapel and in their online Roll of Honour. www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/roll_of_hono...

Memorial to the staff and students of Glasgow University who died in WW1. Black panels with names listed alphabetically in gold lettering, set within stone arches in Glasgow University Chapel.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

I'm very proud to be a volunteer researcher, speaker & tour guide for #CWGC. My next public tour of the WW1 war graves in #RutherglenCemetery will be at 11am on 8th November. Free but booking is required: www.cwgc.org/visit-us/eve...
I also offer private tours/talks for local groups by arrangement.

www.cwgc.org

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 2d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 11: Military
There are 49 WW1 & 38 WW2 war graves in #RutherglenCemetery. Some are marked by familiar #CWGC headstones, others have family gravestones or monuments. There are also many memorials to war dead who are buried elsewhere or have no known grave.

The Cross of Sacrifice, signifying the presence of 40 or more war graves. There are 87 war graves here - 49 WW1 graves and 38 WW2 graves – scattered throughout the older parts of the cemetery. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone for Private James Watson.
James grew up as part of a large family in slum housing close to the pit at Farme Cross, Rutherglen and would no doubt have followed his father into coal mining. He volunteered soon after the outbreak of war, joined the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots and arrived in France on 24th February 1915. He was injured in battle close to the Ypres Salient in early June, taking a gunshot wound to the head. He was shipped out to Bevan Military Hospital near Folkstone in Kent, but had developed a cerebral abscess and died on 28 June. He was just 20 years old.
James was awarded the British, Victory and 15 Star for his service.

Lieutenant James Pattison was originally from County Antrim in Ireland but moved with his family to Glasgow when he was a boy. He joined the Highland Light Infantry at the very beginning of WW1. He served mainly on the western front – his records detail how he moved between battalions and rose through the ranks as the war progressed.
He was awarded the 15 Star as well as the British and Victory medals for his service.
At the end of the war, James returned to his family and his work as a butcher in Rutherglen but, like many soldiers who served in the trenches, his lungs were weak and he died of pneumonia on 27the February 1919, soon after his return.
His death certificate makes no mention of his military service and he is not listed on the Roll of Honour on Rutherglen War Memorial.

Family gravestone commemorating Robert John Smith of the 4th Canadian Mounted RIfles, who was reported missing on 2nd June 1916 but was never found and has no known grave. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Alison M @alisonm.bsky.social · 3d

For #31DaysOfGraves, day 11: military, my favourite stone in all of Scotland. I'm not sure if it's really a grave, so much as a memorial, thought to be depicting a battle between the Picts and the Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, way back in 685AD. The wonderful Aberlemno Cross.

A stone slab containing a cross carved with intricate and beautiful Pictish designs.

The same cross standing in front of the church where it lives

The back of the same stone, carved all over with a battle scene. There are soldiers in horses and on foot and at the bottom right a soldier being pecked by a raven

Detail of soldier being pecked by a raven

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

Apologies for the slow response, I've been away. The webinar is for members of the Society for One-Place Studies, but I also do public tours in the cemetery (the next one is a war graves tour on 8th Nov - booking via CWGC website), I can also do private tours/talks for local groups by arrangement.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 10: Urn
Urns seem to have been a popular choice as grave monuments during the earlier phase of #RutherglenCemetery (late Victorian). They're vulnerable to the ravages of neglect and vandalism, but those that remain in place are very photogenic.

In the foreground, the Speirs family monument with draped urn. Behind it, the Stewart family monument with an amphora style urn with handles, and in the background many more gravestones laid out on the slope of the hill. Darkening sky, full moon rising behind the hill. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Another image of the grave monument of the Speirs family, a tapered pillar in polished granite with white lettering, with a draped urn still in situ on the top. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

An excellent letter by @abrackenbury.bsky.social in The Times and, in reposnse, an excellent short thread from @hallierubenhold.bsky.social, on the importance of the history of ordinary people.

Hallie Rubenhold @hallierubenhold.bsky.social · 4d

Absolutely love this post. Another example why we need to study history from the bottom up, not necessarily top down.

Sathnam Sanghera @sathnam.bsky.social · 5d

In @thetimes.com letters page today

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

One to look out for next year...

Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

My goodness, that's so pretty!

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

I've never been to Carmunnock churchyard. I should pay a visit!

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 4d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 9: Hand
The gravestone of Henry Alfred Muirhead (1862-1928) bears the crest of Clan Muirhead - two hands holding aloft a sword - and the motto Auxilio Dei (By the Help of God).
#RutherglenCemetery #OPS

And I'm caught up... just in time to go away again tomorrow!

The gravestone of Henry Alfred Muirhead (1862-1928) is a large pale granite slab, with inscriptions for Henry, his wife Mary Crawford McLean, his son Andrew and his daughter-in-law Marjorie Lymburn Cowan. At the top of the stone is the crest of Clan Muirhead in a green-tinged metal.
Henry was originally from Cathcart, Renfrewshire. He established a business as a tanner and leather merchant - his son Andrew continued the business after Henry's death.
Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

The crest of Clan Muirhead - two hands holding aloft a sword - above the motto Auxilio Dei (By the Help of God), made of a greenish metal and mounted at the top of a pale grey granite gravestone marking the grave of Henry Alfred Muirhead and his family.
Clan Muirhead is believed to originate in Lanarkshire, with lands at Muirhead (Cadder parish) and at Louncope (Bothwell parish).
Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 5d

A look back at the second half of #AATP25, with links to videos and more, in All About That Place 2025: Days 6 to 10).

Plus, an invitation to get vlogging, as well as blogging, about your #OnePlaceStudies (members – our YouTube channel needs 👉🏻you!👈🏻).

All About That Place 2025: Days 6 to 10 - Society for One-Place Studies

Following on from All About That Place 2025: Days 1 to 5, let’s now conclude our summary of #AATP25. The second half of this year’s ‘Mini-AATP’ followed the pattern of the first, with a theme for each...

www.one-place-studies.org

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 5d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 8: Glass
Another one from Southampton Old Cemetery - the grave of Ethel Maude Newman (1875-1940), Lady Visitor for the Titanic Relief Fund. I'm not sure I like the garish blue glass chips but the story of her work with victims' families is a fascinating bit of social history.

Grave of the Newman family, including Ethel Maude Newman (1875-1940), Lady Visitor for the Titanic Relief Fund, located in Southampton Old Cemetery. A white stone cross set in a square of bright blue glass chips with a white stone border, surrounded by trees.

Monumental inscription for Ethel Maude Newman, second daughter of the Newman family, who died on 6 March 1940, together with an modern information panel about her life and work as Lady Visitor of the Titanic Relief Fund.
"Life's work well done"

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 5d

Indeed! Women are sometimes recorded in the Scottish censuses under their maiden surname too, although this far less common.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 5d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 7: Angel
An unmissable opportunity to share the stunningly beautiful angel who watches over the grave of suffragette Henria Helen Leech Williams in #CathcartCemetery. A place of pilgrimage, adorned with the purple, green & white ribbons of the #WSPU. May she rest in peace.

A stone angel, seated atop the grave monument of the Williams family, in the beautiful woodland surrounds of the overgrown Cathcart Cemetery on the south side of Glasgow, Scotland.

A wider view of the imposing grave monument of the Williams family - three large inscribed stone panels with plinths and pediments, above which is a seated angel perhaps three metres tall, the whole structure being perhaps six metres or more in height - surrounded by the lush vegetation of the overgrown Cathcart Cemetery on the south side of Glasgow, Scotland.
A daughter of the family, Henria Helen Leech WIlliams, was a suffragette and an active member of the Women's Social and Political Union. She died on 2 January 1911, two months after the 'Black Friday' demonstration. The grave is adorned with purple, green and white ribbons, the colours of WSPU, and remains a place of pilgrimage and inspiration.

At the foot of the grave monument of suffragette Henria Helen Leech WIlliams, a sign bearing a quotation:
"She knowingly and willingly shortened her days in rendering services to the womanhood of the nation."
There are also ribbons in purple, green and white, the colours of the Women's Social & Politial Union (WSPU).

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 5d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 6: Gender
In Scotland, a monumental inscription relating to a married woman typically gives her full maiden name alongside the name of her husband. This doesn't mean she wasn't married! Some examples from #RutherglenCemetery #OPS.

On the left the gravestone of Mary Jess, wife of William Graham, and on the right the gravestone of Lilla Ethel Cable, wife of Harry Nixon. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Gravestone of Nellie Gray, wife of Hugh Stewart, surrounded by autumn leaves. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Gravestone of Susan Semple, wife of William Riddell. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Gravestone of Ellen Simpson, wife of John Lister. Rutherglen Cemetery, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 5d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 5: Bird
My local municipal cemetery is home to foxes, squirrels, bats & many species of bird, including a mob of noisy jackdaws & a family of mistle thrushes, but I didn't expect to find a pair of mallard among the gravestones! Also, a lovely stone dove.
#RutherglenCemetery #OPS

A pair of mallard ducks looking very much at home among the gravestones in Rutherglen Cemetery, Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire. The nearest open water is maybe half a mile away.

A stone dove perches atop an urn on the grave monument of the Knox family of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire. Striking black granite with white lettering against a blue sky.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 6d

Lovely to see the final resting place of the writer Radclyffe Hall - somehow it seems very fitting. I would very much like to pay a visit, soak up the atmosphere of the place and pay my respects to this most extraordinary person.

🥀🪦 @graveyardgirly.bsky.social · 7d

Day 6: Gender
#31daysofgraves

Radclyffe Hall, also known as John is buried near by in the circle of Lebanon, in Highgate Cemetery, London.

As always, more information in the alt text.

A quiet, atmospheric path curves through a row of grand, weathered stone mausoleums in the Circle of Lebanon at Highgate Cemetery, London. The tombs, built into the hillside, feature classical architectural details such as columns, pediments, and carved inscriptions. Moss and ivy cling to the old stone, and a soft green carpet of grass borders the gravel walkway. The air feels still and reverent beneath the shelter of overhanging trees.

This photograph depicts the Circle of Lebanon in Highgate Cemetery (West), one of London’s most historic and architecturally remarkable burial grounds. Opened in 1839, Highgate is known for its elaborate Victorian funerary art, Egyptian- and Greek-inspired architecture, and as the resting place of many notable figures.

Among those interred here is Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943) an English author best known for The Well of Loneliness (1928), a groundbreaking novel in LGBTQ+ history. The book, which depicted the life and struggles of a lesbian protagonist, was the subject of an obscenity trial in Britain, leading to its ban at the time. Despite the controversy, Hall’s work became a cornerstone of queer literary heritage, and they are remembered today as a pioneering figure for visibility and representation.

Hall was buried alongside their partner Una Troubridge, an artist and sculptor, reflecting their lifelong companionship. Their tomb is located in the West Cemetery, not far from the area shown in the image. a serene and deeply symbolic space that continues to draw visitors interested in both literary and LGBTQ+ history.

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 8d

Yes, please do! As a lapsed librarian, my habits have become less than exemplary. I could do with a refresher... and an idiot's guide to tools that weren't available when I first trained in this stuff (1996).

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Turnstone Genealogy - Jane Barton @turnstonegenie.bsky.social · 9d

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 4: Languages
Another selection from Southampton Old Cemetery. War graves for Belgian soldiers, inscribed in French & Flemish/Dutch(?), Latin inscriptions on the Belgian war memorial, and a CWGC headstone in the Jewish section, in English but surrounded by MIs in Hebrew.

Group of Belgian war graves in Southampton Old Cemetery, inscribed in French and Flemish/Dutch(?), and bearing the Belgian flag

Memorial inscription for Belgian soldiers A.J. Panchau and F.P.J. Levert, who died in WW1 and are buried in Southampton Old Cemetery

Latin inscription on the Belgian war memorial in Southampton Old Cemetery:
In memoriam militam Belgicorum qui mortempro patria oppetierunt MDCCCCXIV-VII Requiescant in pace

CWGC headstone for Lieutenant P.L. Moss of the Intelligence Corps, who died on 20 March 1946 and is buried in the Jewish section of Southampton Old Cemetery.

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