A cemetery in Frome has marked its 175th anniversary by opening its historic archives and holding a special service to remember more than 6,000 people buried at the site.
Frome Dissenters’ Cemetery opened its doors to the public on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September, with visitors able to explore its archives and grounds.
Around 35 people visited on Saturday, with the cemetery secretary also leading a walk around the site. The following day, around 20 people gathered for a special service remembering the more than 6,000 people buried there, including children, infants and more than 240 stillborn babies.
Visitors were able to view items from the archives including the original 1850 minute book, the January 1851 conveyance for the field purchased from the Earl of Cork and Orrery and the first burial register, which records the burial of Alfred Wheeler, the 10-week-old son of tailor William Wheeler of The Butts.
Other archive material included family histories, burial registers, cemetery plans and documents relating to some of the founding churches.
The walk around the site focused on its military history. The grounds contain 12 Commonwealth War Graves Commission graves, 10 from the First World War and two from the Second World War.
Cemetery member Jim Parsons said, “The tour also highlighted numerous family plots bearing the names of local sons and grandsons who died serving overseas. Notable mentions included Lewis John Harvey Vallis, brother to the founder of a local architectural practice and Norman George Manning Case, brother of the Somerset cricketer and third president of Frome Cricket Club. Both men lost their lives at the Somme, while another family’s grandson is recorded as having fallen in the Boer War in South Africa.
“Thanks are extended to all our visitors, our volunteers who helped out over the weekend and to those who participated in the service. We also thank our former trustee and chairman, Mayor Cllr Mark Dorrington with special thanks to Rev Michael White for his thoughtful address.”
Photo: Frome Dissenters’ Cemetery Chapel
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