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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery

@fowcemetery.bsky.social

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Queen's Award recipients & Historic England 'Angels'. Part of the NFCF. The Friends mind Yorkshire’s 1868 Cemetery & 1867 Chapels. Charity 1156569. Est. 2002. Find us on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/fowcemetery

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 9d

REMINDER: CEMETERY WINTER OPENING TIMES COMMENCE WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2025.

This is a reminder that on Wednesday 1st October, we are changing to our winter closing times. The cemetery gates will close at 5:30pm.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 21h

Day 9: Hand. #31DaysOfGraves.

Featuring hands shaking and needing a helping hand to read the stone!

This stone is for William and Amy Leach, of Sand Bank, Wisbech St Mary, Cambridgeshire.

A headstone with hands shaking on the top. The readable text says “Sacred” and then the rest is more or less corroded. You can just make out “William Leach” on the bottom.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 1d

Day 8: Glass. #31DaysOfGraves.

A lovely church window engraved on this stone. The detail is lovely.

A painted carving on a headstone of a tall church window with a cross and pot of flowers on the windowsill.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 2d

Fun Fact: When the Friends group ‘took over’ the cemetery, this angel was missing. A lady came to us and said she used to see it as a child, but it had later vanished. The Friends found the angel buried in the grave behind and restored her, including re-making her broken wing.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 2d

Day 7: Angel. #31DaysOfGraves

Of course, we will always choose Annie’s Angel. This angel watches over Annie Wild and her daughter Nellie.

A tall angel stood against a cross, holding a wreath in one hand with the other hand placed on the wrist.

A close up of the top half of the angel.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 3d

Day 6: Gender. #31DaysOfGraves

We present this headless statue. Headless due to age, wear, possible vandalism way back when. Given that the person buried is a 14 year old girl named Alma Etta Long, we like to believe that this was possibly chosen to resemble her.

The headless statue, possibly a girl knelt down with hands in a praying position, though the hands are missing as well as the head.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 4d

Day 5: Bird - Bonus. #31DaysOfGraves

This is an Avocet, featured in the corner of a cremation stone.

A laser image on a flat marble cremation stone of an Avocet, a wading bird commonly found near water.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 4d

Day 5: Bird. #31DaysOfGraves

Here are a few examples of the birds that visit the cemetery! The first photo has the headstones blurred slightly as they’re fairly new, but the murder of crows were too good to miss.

A murder of crows. There is a row of four headstones, each with a single crow sat on top.

A colourful Starling sat on top of the Peace Garden stonework.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 5d

Oh yes! And with the dates she lived there too, it’s a bit unusual. Cawthorne is a beautiful village though, so no wonder it’s featured on the stone.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 5d

Day 4: Languages. #31DaysOfGraves

Today we’ve chosen to go with the latin “In Memoriam”. Although a common choice on graves, we noticed a small arrow on this stone that we just had to share. This is the grave of Sarah Ann (Blacker) Lisle and John Lisle. The arrow appears behind the A in Blacker.

The stone of Sarah Ann and John Lisle. The stone is a long rectangular shape, with carved ivy leaves on scrolls on either side.

A zoomed in photo of the text. A little arrow appears over Sarah’s maiden name, which is in brackets, “Blacker”. The arrow appears behind the letter A.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 6d

I think your posts are great! I think it is becoming more common to use tomb as a general word for graves now 😁

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 6d

Of course. We see a tomb as more of a small building or structure, like a vault or mausoleum, either above ground or underground where coffins are kept rather than buried.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 6d

Day 3: Tomb. #31DaysOfGraves

We don’t typically have actual tombs in the cemetery, but we do consider this type of stone a ‘kind of’ tombstone. This is the stone of John Heptinstall of Brook House, Wales, near Sheffield.

A horizontal stone in a polyhedral, stretched pyramid shape. The stone has wrought iron railings around some of it. Some of the railings are missing.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 7d

Day 2: Nautical. #31DaysOfGraves

This stone has an anchor on top, and the phrase “Be Ye Also Ready” at the bottom. The stone belongs to John Brittain, who was accidentally killed at Mitchells Main Colliery, age 16. John’s infant sister, Winifred, is also buried here.

A full image of the headstone mentioned in the post. The stone appears to be a rocky formation with a scroll on the front for the text. The anchor rests on top of the stone, slightly over the top of the scroll on the right hand side. The phrase “Be Ye Also Ready” appears on the rolled up paper at the bottom of the scroll.

A close up of the anchor. This image shows that the anchor is attached to a chain, which goes up to the top left corner of the ‘rocks’ and then curls back around to the anchor, as if underneath. The very top left of the scroll reads “In Affectionate Remembrance Of” before continuing on.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 8d

The Friends were stuck in the chapel today thanks to the rain, but it gave us time to relax and chat with our regular visitors who braved the weather. Thank you to all who came today!

The cemetery and chapel (to the right) in the rain, with a bit of mist in the background.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 8d

Absolutely beautiful carving ❤️

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 8d

Day 1: Flower. #31DaysOfGraves

This is the beautifully carved headstone of the Good family. Charlotte and Thomas, and their two sons, William and Harry. 🌹 🌼

A headstone with a carving of flowers on it

A close up of the carved flowers on the headstone. There is a rose and daffodils on the carving, bunched as a bouquet with a ribbon tying the stems.

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 9d

We're taking part on Twitter (X) & BlueSky! #31DaysofGraves

Anna Fairley Nielsson @annaandthedead.bsky.social · 24d

REPOST (error in first post!)
Get ready! October 1st is the start of a month of gravestone and burial ground pictures, with a different prompt for each day. Be creative, there are no rules, just tag with #31DaysOfGraves!
Background image is from King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Mass.

An image of a burial ground in Boston with text overlaid which reads
#31 Days of Graves
Day 1: Flower
Day 2: Nautical
Day 3: Tomb
Day 4: Languages
Day 5: Bird
Day 6: Gender
Day 7: Angel
Day 8: Glass
Day 9: Hand
Day 10: Urn
Day 11: Military
Day 12: Notable woman
Day 13: Skeleton
Day 14: Inside
Day 15: Damaged
Day 16: Obelisk
Day 17: Relocated
Day 18: Mistake
Day 19: Social group
Day 20: Wreath
Day 21: Bronze
Day 22: Landscape
Day 23: Cross
Day 24: Unique animal
Day 25: Graveside ornament
Day 26: Figure
Day 27: Tree
Day 28: Column
Day 29: Occupation
Day 30: Colour
Day 31: Memento mori

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Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 16d

Did you attend our Heritage Open Days weekend? Tell them, and us, about it! If you do, you could be entered into a draw for a chance to win a top prize of a £250 National Trust Holidays Voucher! The deadline to respond is midnight on 28th September 2025. www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on/sur...

How was your Heritage Open Days?

We hope you’ve had a wonderful Heritage Open Days! We'd love to hear about your experience - what was good, what wasn’t so good, what surprised you, and what you’d like to see next year. We'd be very...

www.heritageopendays.org.uk

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 20d

We’re halfway through our second day and we’re thrilled to have seen so many people both yesterday and today. We’re here until 4pm, and we’re back tomorrow for our final day. Make sure you pop in if you haven’t already! #HeritageOpenDay

A wheelbarrow on the grass with a sign attached saying “Displays inside, free to explore”

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 21d

We’re having a blast at the first day of our Heritage Weekend!! Pop in and say hello if you’re passing! We’re open 10-4, today, Friday & Saturday.

‘How to Build a Cemetery’ poster displayed on an information board.

A bottle, old newspaper and paper coins from 1867, acting as a display to show what would have been buried under the foundation stone of the chapel.

A ‘Heritage Open Days’ card castle and colouring activity.

A watercolour painting of what the chapel would have looked like, and some tiles from the original floor.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · 27d

Want to know How to Build a Cemetery in 1867? Our Heritage Open Day weekend starts Thursday 18th September and ends on Saturday 20th. All days are 10am-4pm at the Community Hub chapel. We've got some great displays this year. Pop in and see us next weekend - we'll stick kettle on! #HeritageOpenDay

A poster describing the event as follows: Heritage Open Days Weekend, free history event. Journey through a step-by-step guide on how Wombwell Cemetery came to be, including the costs, contractors, consecrations, and curators of the land. Discover the tale of the Reverend, the Archbishop, and the Caretakers. Hold 157 year old stones in your hands and see what the chapels looked like back in the 1860s. Find a grave on our database, explore the cemetery, discover 157 years of history, tombola and book sale, have a brew and a chat. Thursday 18th, Friday 19th, Saturday 20th September 2025. 10am to 4pm. Wombwell Cemetery Community Hub.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · Sep 8

Best of luck with your PhD! Can't wait to get involved with #31DaysOfGraves this year 🪦😁

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · Aug 27

🌻 The Peace Garden has a new addition! 🌻
Check out our very short blog post for more information: www.fowcemetery.org/post/the-pea...

A collage of photos of a black decorative metal display frame for memorial plaques. The sides have swirls, roses and sunflowers on. One photo shows the swirls on top of the frame, and one photo shows a flower pot holder. Another photo is a close up of a metal sunflower head, with the petals painted gold.

Friends of Wombwell Cemetery @fowcemetery.bsky.social · Aug 26

Happy International Dog Day!

We absolutely adore our furry visitors, but what we don't love is when owners are irresponsible. Please help us to celebrate today by picking up after your dog, and keeping your dog on a lead at all times when in the cemetery.

#InternationalDogDay #KeepBritainTidy

A graphic of two cartoon pooches, an Australian Shepherd and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, on the left, sitting very good with big smiles on their faces. The text reads the same as the post, including the additional text of "You can dispose of dog waste in any of our bins, not just the dog waste bins.". There is also an image of a dog waste bin to the right.