Memorial unveiled for 1,000 youngsters in unmarked graves in South Yorkshire cemetery

The public grave at the Penistone-Stottercliffe cemetery is the final resting place of youngsters born from the late 1800s, right up until the 1970s, with no memorial in place – not even a gravestone to mark the youngsters’ short lives.

In the early 19th century, right up until the 1970s, a baby that was stillborn or died shortly after birth was usually buried in a communal grave with children and adults, and the bereaved family were often not told of their whereabouts.

Barnsley councillors helped to fundraise for the memorial stone at the site after Richard Galliford, 71, brought the area to their attention.

Richard found out he had a sister buried at the site, who was stillborn in 1949, which led him to post about the overgrown area of the cemetery on Facebook.

Richard only found out about his sister in 1986, when his father pointed out the site.

Around £7,000 was raised by the community for the memorial stone, with further donations from the Royal British Legion for two benches.

Unveiling the memorial, Richard said: ” We have at last managed to bring justice to over 1,000 babies and children buried here in this cemetery.

“Buried here we include children who were stillborn, those who died at birth and those who died shortly into their life up to 10 years of age.

“This memorial is dedicated to all of them, and to show that they are no longer forgotten. Our community recognise their existence.”

Richard thanked Peter Shields, a retired solider living in Thurnscoe who had raised money for a number of similar memorials across Barnsley and Doncaster.

Peter has spent the best part of 20 years cataloguing graves in South Yorkshire, and set up the Dearne Memorial Group in 2002, which is still running in the form of a website, where people contact him to help find a loved one’s final resting place.

Peter Shield was personally affected by such a tragedy – he and his wife Betty’s daughter, Dawn, died of congenital difficulties at just three weeks old, and their son died of spina bifida during the 1970s.

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