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Archiver > ABERDEEN > 2006-11 > 1164114266


From: Gavin Bell <>
Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Burial Place
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:04:26 +0000
References: <20061121015355.VHTH17217.oaamta02sl.mx.bigpond.com@Karen>
In-Reply-To: <20061121015355.VHTH17217.oaamta02sl.mx.bigpond.com@Karen>


Karen wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>My 3xgreat grandmother died at 46 Gilcomston Park, St Machar, Aberdeen in
>1912. Does anyone have any idea where she would possibly be buried ie. Is
>there a large cemetery in this area?
>
>

I am not convinced that she would necessarily have been buried in the
closest burial ground. At that date, there were no fewer than 6
cemeteries within a couple of miles of where she died: Allenvale, Grove,
Nellfield, Springbank, Trinity and St Peter's, and others not very much
further afield, which were, in effect, competing for business. And,
while the main kirkyards of St Nicholas and St Machar were pretty well
closed by then, I think there were still some of the other traditional
kirkyards accepting burials. So she may be buried in whichever cemetery
was offering the best deal, either at the time she died, or at some
earlier date - people regularly bought a "lair", with space for a
specified number of burials, long before they thought they might need
it, and such burial spaces could be passed down through generations of a
family, until they were full.

There is also the possibility that, if she was not originally native to
Aberdeen (and at that date, Aberdeen, like most large cities, was
largely populated by immigrants from the country), she might have been
buried "back home", in the parish where she came from. Members of my
family were still being buried in the family plot in St Fergus (near
Peterhead) half a century after the family had moved into town.

>I have her death information from the
>GRO but it does not say where she is buried. Where could I find out this
>information from?
>
>

There is no single place where peoples' place of burial is recorded.
You will have to check the burial records for each of the cemeteries, to
see if she is there. Or consult the records for "back home" if you
think it possible that she may have had connections to some parish
outside the city. Burial Registers for the City cemeteries are split
between the City Archives and the Environmental Services. Burial
Registers for parish kirkyards in Aberdeenshire are generally held by
one or other of the Registrars in the County.


Gavin Bell

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