Evesham Baptist Chapel Cowl Street Burial Ground

Date: 1788 [unknown]
Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom

Contents 1 Early History 2 Move to Cowl Street, Evesham 3 Burial Records 4 Monumental inscriptions 5 Demise of the burial ground 6 Burials 7 Sources

Early History

There were Baptists in Evesham from (at least) 1670 and in those early days preaching services would have been held in private houses as there was no Baptist Church building in Evesham. By 1704 a barn, on the north side of Port Street, Bengeworth had been adapted for worship with services being held once a month with Ministers coming from Alcester, Pershore and other nearby Baptist Churches. In 1722 the barn was demolished and a new meeting house built.

In 1732 a decision was made to form a distinct Evesham Baptist Church and Mr Jacob Mower was ordained as pastor of the new church. Mr Mower died in 1764 and Rev. Lawrence Butterworth, who originated from Rossendale, Lancashire was invited to serve as pastor. He served a probationary period for three and a half years before being ordained in 1768. He remained the pastor until his death in 1828.

In 1783 a room in Rev. Butterworth’s house in Market Place, Evesham was adapted for preaching on Sunday evenings. In 1785 a larger room in a back building of Rev. Butterworth’s house was converted and in a few months it was crowded clearly showing the desire for services in Evesham.

Move to Cowl Street, Evesham

In 1787 the church purchased the premises in Cowl Street of Mr Joseph Whitford for £410. The church agreed to build a new meeting house there, the foundation was laid on March 3rd, 1788 and it was opened for worship on October 1st.

Old Cowl Street Chapel with burial ground before 1970s

The area of the chapel yard was approximately 70ft by 50ft and the burial ground was presumably laid out at the time the chapel was built and may have been in use almost immediately. No detailed records of burials in these early years survive but the earliest known burial was that of Anne Trenfield on October 14th, 1794. The burial register includes many undated entries so presumably some of those might have been earlier.

The original burial ground layout was 17 rows of 4 or 5 graves, taking about half of the available area. By the late 1820s the original burial ground was nearly full and the congregation had increased. In 1830 the church added galleries to the chapel, a small vestry and enlarged the burial ground at a cost of £300. This new section, known as the new ground, added about 50 graves in 18 rows of 2 or 3 graves.

The graves appear to have been originally intended as double graves but most were reopened after the 1840s and additional burials were added.

By the 1870s most of the graves were full so another 20 graves were laid out in the remaining space closest to the chapel and school room.

Burial Ground Layout

Burial Records

Early burial records have not survived but a new burial register book was started some time in the 1840s. Records of earlier burials were copied into the book (often with just a surname and no date) and new burials were recorded.

In the burial register the original graves (pages 1-31) were numbered: x Row y Grave (for example, 7 row 3 grave) where row 1 was furthest from the School Room and row 17 closest. The New Ground graves (pages 32-56) were also numbered: x Row y Grave (for example, 4 row 2 grave) where row 1 was closest to the School Room and row 18 furthest.

Burial Register extract

From the 1870s recording of burials was haphazard. Many burials were recorded at the front of the burial register without a date and with a numbering scheme which did not correspond to the previously established scheme. Some burials were recorded twice with different grave numbers. For example, page 31 of the register shows Mrs Luxton buried on May 20, 1875 in 17 row 1 grave but at the front of the book it is also recorded as 3 row 1 grave.

In September 1881 a new plan of the burial ground was drawn, the graves were renumbered from 1 to 139 and a “Reference to plan of burial ground” was created. When the graves were renumbered in 1881 the original graves became numbers 1-67, the new ground became numbers 88-139, and the additional graves added in the 1870s became numbers 68-87. Note: These new numbers do not appear in the burial register even for burials after 1881.

Reference to plan of burial ground extract

Inevitably some copying errors were made when creating the new reference so some names in the reference do not match the burial register. It has been possible to resolve most of these errors by cross-referencing with other sources such as death registration records.

The old burial register was still used to record burials after 1881 but there were about 20 entries with no grave number so the burial location is unknown. In total the register mentions about 340 people but a few are duplicated and a few entries mention an unspecified number of children.

The latest burial recorded in the burial register was that of Miss Tredwell on 30 Nov 1901 but the burial ground continued to be used for several years afterwards.

Monumental inscriptions

In 1899, E.A.B Barnard, a local historian, made a record of the memorials at the Baptist Chapel Cowl Street Evesham. These were compiled in 1954 by the Vale of Evesham Historical Society and subsequently indexed and published by the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (BMSGH) now known as Midland Ancestors (https://midland-ancestors.uk/).

Only 26 memorials were recorded, including surviving gravestones and plaques in the chapel. These were grouped into four areas: Centre Porch, Outside, Inside right of Pulpit, and Inside left of Pulpit. It was noted “all gravestones in poor condition, many indecipherable”.

These monumental inscriptions include several later than the burial register, the latest being Joseph Cooper who died November 6th, 1913. Note: Some plaques referred to people who were not buried in the burial ground including Cornelius and Sarah Warmington who were buried at Bengeworth Cemetery and a plaque commemorating two World War II casualties.

Memorial to Rev. Lawrence Butterworth (now situated in Butterworth House, Mill Street)

Demise of the burial ground

In the 1970s the Church made the major decision to demolish the old chapel. The building was too large and costly in maintenance and heating. The schoolroom was converted into a new church which was opened in 1978 and the old buildings were then taken down to make way for the Seward Close Housing Scheme, which opened in 1981. The burial ground was removed and covered by the car park for the housing scheme.

Burials

Although there were about 340 people buried in the burial ground it has not been possible to identify each individual. Many entries in the burial register only record a surname and many are undated.

People buried in the burial ground who have a WikiTree profile can be found in category Evesham Baptist Chapel Cowl Street Burial Ground (defunct), Evesham, Worcestershire.

Below is an index of people buried in the burial ground by last name at death (note the category uses last name at birth). Maiden names are shown in () where known.

Amphlett	Ann, Rev
Arch	William
Baldwin	Mr, Mrs
Balhatchet	Hannah (Jones), William Ernest
Ballinger	George, Rosa Ann
Baskett	Mary Ann
Batson	Ann, William
Beard	Ann (Day), Dorcas Hopkins (Herbert), Mark, Martha (Neal)
Beasley	James, Maria, Wife [of James]
Beck	Anne
Beckingsale	Child [of Richard], Richard
Bedenham	Joseph, Mary (Rees), Mr
Bomford	Ann, Daughter [of Heming], Ebenezer, Elizabeth (Webb), Heming, John, Mary (Bomford), Mary (James), Mary
Boswell	Ann Rosina
Butterworth	Hannah (Whiting), James, Lawrence, Letitia, Maria
Caddick	Mary (Pearce)
Casewell	Eliza Townsend (White), Esther Jane
Chambers	Elizabeth (Kerry), William Kerry
Churchill	Mr, Mrs
Clements	William
Collett	John, Mr, Mrs
Conn	Samuel
Cooper	Ann (Huband), Elizabeth (Squires), John, John, Joseph, Mary, Sarah (Harbour), Sarah, Thomas
Court	Anne, Charles, Edwin, Martha
Crane	Mary (Pardoe)
Daffy	young
Davies	Benjamin
Downs	Elizabeth (?), William
Drew	James
Dunn	Ann
Field	Ann, Caroline (Tovey), Emily (Hughes), Eva Caroline, George, Harriet (Wagstaff), John, John, Maria (Newbury), Mary (White), Miss, Mr, Mrs, Stephen, Stephen Thomas
Fifield	Maria (Trenfield)
Fincher	Anne (Walker), James, Sarah (Birch), Sarah (Higgins), [unknown]
Fletcher	Ann, Herbert, John, Lydia, Mary (Clark), Mary, Sarah (Downes), Sarah, William
Gibbs	Abigail (Solloway)
Grove	Ann, David, Eliza (Birlingham), Elizabeth (Hitch), George, Henry, James, James, Mary (Adams), Mary (Warren), Mrs J, Thomas, Valentine
Harmer	Charles Wilkins, Edith, Elizabeth Abigail (Pearce), Sarah Maria
Harvey	Anne
Heekin	Mrs
Heeks	E
Hemming	Martha
Herbert	Mrs
Hill	Elizabeth
Hirons	James, John, Mrs
Hitch	Mr, Mrs, Thomas, young
Hockin	Edward, Hannah Bessie, Hannah Jones, Henry Willie, Lucy Emily, Lucy, Robert
Holland	Miss
Houghton	Ann (Aston)
Huband	Benjamin, Benjamin, Maria (Hirons), Mary (Rouse), William
Hughes	Charles Henry, David, David, Elizabeth, Elizabeth (Stanley), Job, John, John, John, Jonathan, Jonathan, Joseph, Mark, Martha (Pearce), Mary, Mrs Job, Rebecca, Son [of Joseph], Wife [of John], William
Huxley	Mrs, William
Ireland	Alfred George
Jew	Mary (White)
Jones	Ann
Kerry	Elizabeth (Hughes), John, John
Langston	William
Lloyd	Mr, Mrs, Mrs
Luxton	Hephzibah (Hughes)
Mann	Ann, [unknown], [unknown]
Matthews	William
Melen	Jane (Smith)
Merchant	Sarah
Moreton	Elizabeth, Joseph
Mush	William
Nabbs	Joseph
New	Benjamin, Elizabeth (Field), Elizabeth (Pearce), George, John Arthur, John, John, Martha (Pearce), young
Nightingale	Mary Ann, Sophie
Page	Margaret
Pain	Richard James Tipper
Pearce	Ann, Ann, Ebenezer, Ebenezer, Edith Eliza, Elizabeth (Bomford), Elizabeth (Hughes), Elizabeth, Elizabeth, James, James, James Roper, Jane, John, John, Joseph, Martha, Mary, Mrs James, Mrs, Samuel, Sarah (Lloyd), Sarah, William
Prosser	Lewis, Margaret (Wilcox)
Redding	Jane
Reeves	Ann Dingley (Cooper), John
Roseblade	Sarah, Thomas
Russell	Benjamin, Esther, Joseph, Mary (Hughes), Thomas, Thomas
Salmon	Hannah (Acock), Samuel
Scott	Daughter [of Mrs Scott], Mrs, young
Shammon	Emma, John, Maria (Hill), Maria
Slater	John Samuel
Smith	Alice, E, Elizabeth (New), John, John, Wilson
Spiers	A, Francis, Mary (Mosley), Son [of Francis], William
Squire	Ann, E
Squires	Lucy
Stephens	Arthur Walford
Summers	Phebe
Swetman	[unknown]
Thomas	Blanche Lavinia, Mercer, young
Tipper	Ellen, Frances Emily, Frances, John James, Martha (Hughes), Martha (Hughes)
Tombs	Ann
Townshend	Jemima (Chibnall), Joseph
Tredwell	Ann (Ireland), Elizabeth (New), Elizabeth, George, Josiah, Kate Maud, Mary (Parker), Mary (Pearce), Mary Sarah, Mary, Matilda Jane, Richard Parker, William, William, young
Trenfield	Anne, E, Mary, Sarah, William, William
Turner	Elizabeth
Walker	Mary
Warren	Anne, George, Mrs, Mrs
Wheeler	Mrs, Susanna
White	Anne, Betsy (New), Bett (Higgins), Elizabeth (Townshend), Henry Ebenezer, Henry, James, Mary, Mrs, Richard, Thomas, Thomas, William
Whitford	Albert Carey Mason, Albert Knight, Charles, Miss, Richard, young
Whiting	Daughter [of Mr William], Lawrence, Margaret Wilson, Mrs, Sarah (Butterworth), Son [of Mr William], Sons [of Sarah], Wife [of Mr William], William
Wilcox	Miss
Williams	Mr
Winkett	John
Woodcock	Elizabeth, Hannah, Mrs

Sources

• Evesham Baptist Church 275th Anniversary Booklet
• A Short Historical Account of the Rise, Progress and Circumstances of the Baptist Congregation within the Borough of Evesham Worcestershire. Collected and written by Lawrence Butterworth Pastor of the said Congregation in the year 1789. With later additions by Rev Butterworth and his successor David Davis. Original held by Worcestershire Archives. Images held by Evesham Baptist Church, viewed 1 Jul 2023.
• Evesham Baptist Church Burial Register, Membership Registers, Plan of Burial Ground and Reference to Plan of Burial Ground. Worcestershire Archives. Images held by Evesham Baptist Church, viewed 1 Jul 2023.
• Evesham Baptist Cowl Street Chapel Monumental Inscriptions. Compiled in 1954 by the Vale of Evesham Historical Society. Published by BMSGH 2012 https://midland-ancestors.uk/