This weekend various events are taking place as part of the national Heritage Open Days. One of the more unusual was a tour of the Cathedral's cemetery, which took place this afternoon.
The tour was led by Cathedral parishioners Maurice and Josie Bolton, who each have expertise in this area! Maurice oversees all the records for the cemetery and keeps the plans up-to-date - no easy task when many of the graves are not marked...
...and Josie has done much research into local history; she also deals with any family history enquiries which come in to the Cathedral. Josie was able to offer us an insight into the lives of many of the people in the cemetery, particularly those who had played a significant role in the life of the parish or the local society.
This is the stone marking the grave of Rev. Dr John Rigby, the priest who built the Catholic chapel at Dalton Square. Dr Rigby was originally buried there; his remains were moved to the new cemetery in 1860. It is believed that this stone was buried at that point; it was uncovered yesterday, so it may be being viewed for the first time in 148 years.
Watching over the tour from on high, some people on a visit to the Cathedral's tower, which was open for a time this afternoon as part of the Heritage Open Days.
This weekend various events are taking place as part of the national Heritage Open Days. One of the more unusual was a tour of the Cathedral's cemetery, which took place this afternoon.
The tour was led by Cathedral parishioners Maurice and Josie Bolton, who each have expertise in this area! Maurice oversees all the records for the cemetery and keeps the plans up-to-date - no easy task when many of the graves are not marked...
...and Josie has done much research into local history; she also deals with any family history enquiries which come in to the Cathedral. Josie was able to offer us an insight into the lives of many of the people in the cemetery, particularly those who had played a significant role in the life of the parish or the local society.
This is the stone marking the grave of Rev. Dr John Rigby, the priest who built the Catholic chapel at Dalton Square. Dr Rigby was originally buried there; his remains were moved to the new cemetery in 1860. It is believed that this stone was buried at that point; it was uncovered yesterday, so it may be being viewed for the first time in 148 years.
Watching over the tour from on high, some people on a visit to the Cathedral's tower, which was open for a time this afternoon as part of the Heritage Open Days..JPG)
