DeadGoodWalks

Join me on a cemetery walk at Old St Stephen's Church in Fylingdales (Yorkshire) where I have an encounter with the sheep that roam the graveyard. After my visit I was thinking about how I'd feel about my grave or a family members grave being walked on by sheep....Interested to hear your opinions. #grave #sheep #farming

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Frederick Kempster (1889–1918) was an English showman, renowned for his extreme height and also known as the English Giant or Blackburn Giant. He was 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m) tall, had an arm span of 8 ft 4.5 in (2.55 m) and weighed 170 kilograms (370 lb). Between 1967 and 1993 Kempster appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the tallest men in England. Kempster was born on April 13, 1889, in London to Joseph and Jane Kempster and was the second youngest of four sons and three daughters. His mother described him as "a jolly, laughing boy, of a very liberal and generous disposition". On Christmas Day 1897, his father died and eight-year-old Kempster and his two-year-old brother George were placed by their mother in the care of a Barnardo's orphanage in September 1898. Shipped off to Canada by the charity, Kempster returned to England on November 12, 1904, aged 15. He was by now suffering from a congenital knee problem leading to ligament problems and growth at the upper end of the tibia. This uncontrolled growth was to lead to his increasing height. He lived with his sister, Ruth, in Wiltshire and by the age of 22 he was said to stand just less than 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) and he started to get both public and press attention leading to him seeing his unusual height as a means to make a living. By 1913 he stood slightly over 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m). In June 1911, he joined the Astley and Co.'s American Circus at Chigwell in Essex as a professional giant. In March 1914 he went on a tour of Europe and differing sources alleged his height anywhere from 8 ft 4in to 8 ft 8in. Often the circus' management would exaggerate Kempster's height to entice more visitors. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Kempster was in Germany and was placed under house arrest in Berlin by the German authorities. He was released after a month and returned to Britain where he was interviewed by the London press. He visited his brother, George, who was recovering in hospital after being wounded in France in 1916. Kempster continued to tour around Britain in 1917 and contracted influenza in Blackburn. Kempster died, aged 29, in the Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn in 1918 and was buried in a 9 ft (2.7 m) coffin in a 10 ft (3.0 m) grave in Blackburn Cemetery. Case notes from the hospital state Kempster was 7 ft 9.3 in (2.37 m) when he died. His grave stone also calls him 'The British Giant'. His obituary read ” In a coffin 9 feet long, Frederick Kempster was buried in a 10-feet grave at Blackburn. Kempster, whose health had been ruined by a long internment in Germany, was 8ft. 4in in height and 29 years of age. The coffin had to be removed through the window of the hotel where he had been staying. “

Sitting by St Cuthbert’s Way, the pilgrim route from Melrose to Lindisfarne, the church has a wealth of architectural history. It was founded in 1128; part of the north wall is possibly 15th century, the east end is from 1644, cross aisle 1661, the west gable and doorway at west end of north wall 17th century. Repaired in 1794. Major alterations in 1909 by P MacGregor Chalmers. Carved wooden 17th-century laird’s loft for Riddell-Carre family. Burial vaults of Riddell-Carre of Cavers-Carre and Dukes of Roxburghe. Memorials, including one to Lady Grizell Baillie, first Deaconess of the Church of Scotland. Many notable tombstones in graveyard. #secret #mystery #grave

We're heading to Auld Kirk in the Scottish borders to see the Kirk that links Franklin D Roosevelt to William Wallace. PS...Sorry about Mel Gibson in the thumbnail I know Braveheart is not historically accurate but it looks good :D #president #williamwallace #braveheart

St James Cemetery in Liverpool really has it all, A vampire, a witch, and the ghost of a little girl called grace. The site was originally a quarry dating to the 16th century and the stone it produced was used in many buildings in the city. When all the useable stone was exhausted in 1825, a new use was found for the site. The cemetery opened in 1829, and planned to use the rock as catacombs, however it wasn't a popular choice and many weren't even excavated. As we walk around, keep your eyes peeled for the ghost of little Grace, she's said to still play here, just as she did when she was alive. #ghost #halloween #catacombs

St Anne's is a church in the village of Woodplumpton in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn, and the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the deanery of Garstang. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The churchyard at St Anne's is the supposed burial place of a 17th-century alleged witch named Meg Shelton. Meg Shelton (Died 1705) known as the "Fylde Hag" was an English woman accused of witchcraft. Her grave can be seen at St. Anne's Church in Woodplumpton, now part of the City of Preston district of Lancashire. Meg Shelton's real name is recorded by St Anne's Church as Margery Hilton. She was found dead in her cottage, crushed between a wall and a large barrel. According to local rumour, she was able to use her magic to make crops fail, turn milk sour and to cause illness in cattle. After her death, it was said that whenever they buried her in the graveyard, every so often her corpse would keep digging up to the surface. To prevent her from rising again, they buried her face down and had a large boulder placed on top of it. An alternative telling suggests that she was buried head down in a narrow shaft, accounting for the relatively small size of the boulder #halloween #witch #witchcraft

I can't tell you how lucky I felt to be able to visit Wallace's grave! The leader of the band that went down with the Titanic! What absolute heroes to do such a thing knowing that their end was about to come. Wallace Henry Hartley (2 June 1878 – 15 April 1912) was an English violinist and bandleader on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage. He became famous for leading the eight-member band as the ship sank on 15 April 1912. He died in the sinking. Hartley was born and raised in Colne, Lancashire, England. Hartley's father, Albion Hartley, was the choirmaster and Sunday school superintendent at Bethel Independent Methodist Chapel, on Burnley Road where the family attended worship services. Albion himself introduced the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" to the congregation. Wallace studied at Colne's Methodist day school, sang in Bethel's choir and learned to play the violin from a fellow congregation member. After leaving school, Hartley started work with the Craven & Union Bank in Colne. When his family moved to Huddersfield, Hartley joined the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1903, he left home to join the municipal orchestra in Bridlington, where he stayed for six years. He later moved to Dewsbury, West Yorkshire and in 1909, he joined the Cunard Line as a musician, serving on the ocean liners RMS Lucania, RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. Whilst serving on the Mauretania, the employment of Cunard musicians was transferred to the music agency C.W. & F.N. Black, which supplied musicians for Cunard and the White Star Line. This transfer changed Hartley's onboard status, as he was no longer counted as a member of the crew, but rather as a passenger, albeit one accommodated in second-class accommodation at the agency's expense. It later transpired that neither the shipping company nor the music agency had insured the musicians, with each claiming it was the other's responsibility. In April 1912, Hartley was assigned to be the bandmaster for the White Star Line ship RMS Titanic. He was at first hesitant to again leave his fiancée, Maria Robinson, to whom he had recently proposed, but Hartley decided that working on the maiden voyage of the Titanic would give him possible contacts for future work. Hartley's body was recovered by the Mackay–Bennett almost two weeks after the sinking. Several press reports confirmed that Wallace was found "fully dressed with his music case strapped to his body". He was transferred to the Arabic and returned to England. Hartley's father Albion met the ship at Liverpool and brought his son's body back to his home town of Colne, Lancashire. The funeral took place on 18 May 1912. One thousand people attended Hartley's funeral, while an estimated 30,000–40,000 lined the route of his funeral procession. His violin was sold for £900,000 ($1.7M) in 2013. The Murder Of SC Halstead: SC Halstead was one of many volunteers sworn in by magistrates to assist with policing when officers clashed with a large crowd over a protest about forming the new police force. The crowd were armed with weapons, including metal railings which Richard Booth struck SC Halstead over the head with. Richard Boothman was found guilty of SC Halstead’s murder and given the death sentence, although he protested his innocence. He was later transported to Van Dieman’s Island, now known as Tazmania, where he became a successful businessman after serving just 2 years in prison. #titanic #grave #titan

I visit the grave of the famous witch, Alice Nutter and I also get heckled by some school kids. Alice Nutter (died 20 August 1612) was an Englishwoman accused and hanged as a result of the Pendle witch hunt. Her life and death are commemorated by a statue in the village of Roughlee in the Pendle district of Lancashire. Unlike many accused of witchcraft, Alice was a member of a wealthy family who owned land in Pendle. She was accused of being present at a witch meeting on Good Friday in 1612 and of later causing the death of Henry Milton. Her principal accuser was a nine-year-old girl. Nutter protested her innocence although others pleaded guilty. Nutter's trial began at Lancaster Castle on 18 August where the accused were denied access to lawyers or the right to call witnesses. She was subsequently hanged at Gallows Hill in Lancaster on 20 August 1612. The others hanged were Anne Whittle ("Old Chattox"), Ann Redfearn, Elizabeth Device ("Squinting Lizzie"), Alison Device, James Device, Katherine Hewitt, Jane Bulcock, John Bulcock and Isobel Robey. #witch #pendle #halloween

A "wild" theory that Peter the wild boy is Peter Pan... Peter the Wild Boy (born c. 1713; died 22 February 1785) was a boy from Hanover in northern Germany who was found in 1725 living wild in the woods near Hamelin (Electorate of Hanover), the town of Pied Piper legend. The boy, of unknown parentage, had been living an entirely feral existence for an unknown length of time, surviving by eating forest flora; he walked on all fours, exhibited uncivilized behaviour and could not be taught to speak a language. He is now believed to have suffered from the very rare genetic disorder Pitt–Hopkins syndrome. Peter was found in the Hertswold Forest by a party of hunters led by George I while on a visit to his Hanover homeland and brought to Great Britain in 1726 by order of his daughter-in-law Caroline of Ansbach, the Princess of Wales. After Peter's transportation to Britain, curiosity and speculation concerning Peter was excited in London. The craze was the subject of a biting satire by Jonathan Swift, and of another entitled The Most Wonderful Wonder that ever appeared to the Wonder of the British Nation, which has been attributed to Swift and John Arbuthnot. Daniel Defoe also wrote on the subject in his pamphlet Mere Nature Delineated. James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, in his Origin and Progress of Language presents Peter as an illustration of his theory of the evolution of the human species. Caroline, Princess of Wales took an interest in Peter's welfare, and in 1726, after the initial public curiosity began to subside, she arranged for Dr Arbuthnot to oversee his education. All efforts to teach him to speak, read or write failed. The interior designer and painter William Kent included a depiction of Peter in a large painting of King George I's court that today hangs on the east wall of the King's Staircase at Kensington Palace in London. Peter is shown wearing a green coat and holding oak leaves and acorns in his right hand. After he was discharged from the supervision of Dr Arbuthnot, he was entrusted to the care of Mrs. Titchbourn, one of the Queen's bedchamber women, with a handsome pension annexed to the charge. Mrs. Titchbourn usually spent a few weeks every summer at the house of Mr. James Fenn, a yeoman farmer, at Axter's End, in the parish of Northchurch, Hertfordshire. Peter was left there in the care of Mr. Fenn, who was allowed £35 a year for his support and maintenance. After the death of Mr. Fenn, Peter was transferred to the care of James's brother, Thomas, at another farmhouse, called Broadway, where he lived with the several successive tenants of that farm, and with the same government pension, to the time of his death. In the late summer of 1751, Peter went missing from Broadway Farm and could not be traced. Advertisements were placed in newspapers offering a reward for his safe return. On 22 October 1751, a fire broke out in the parish of St Andrew's in Norwich. As the fire spread, the local gaol became engulfed in smoke and flame. The frightened inmates were hastily released and one aroused considerable curiosity on account of his remarkable appearance, excessively hirsute and strong, and the nature of the sounds he made, which led some to describe him as an orangutan. Some days later, he was identified as Peter the Wild Boy, possibly through a description of him in the London Evening Post. He was returned to Thomas Fenn's farm, and had a special leather collar with his name and address made for him to wear in future, should he ever stray again.[5] Peter lived to an estimated 70 years of age. He was visited in 1782 by the Scottish philosopher and judge James Burnett and was said to have a healthy complexion with a full white beard and apparently understood what was said to him but was himself only capable of saying the words "Peter" and "King George" and humming a few songs. There is a portrait of the "Wild Boy", depicting a handsome old man with a white beard, in Caulfield's Portraits of Remarkable Persons. Peter died 22 February 1785 and is buried in Northchurch. His grave can still be seen in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Northchurch, directly outside the main door to the church. On 20 February 2013, it was announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that the grave was to be given Grade II listing on the advice of English Heritage. In 2007, a blue heritage plaque was placed at the Wild Man pub in Bedford Street, near St Andrew's in Norwich, commemorating Peter and his association with the district. In 2011, the condition that afflicted Peter the Wild Boy was suspected to be the chromosomal disorder Pitt–Hopkins syndrome, a condition identified only in 1978, nearly 200 years after Peter's death.[8] Various physical attributes of Peter's which are evident in the Kensington Palace portrait have been matched to the condition, such as his curvy "Cupid's bow" lips, his short stature, his coarse, curly hair, drooping eyelids and thick lips. #peterpan #king #disney