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Saint Mary Churchyard
Luton, Bedfordshire County, England

Church Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

Contact: County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP, England, Tel: 01234 228833 or 01234 228777 - fax 01234 228619, e-mail: archive@csd.bedfordshire.gov.uk

Submitted by Deborah Garrand, Jun 29, 2004 [debgarrand@googlemail.com]. Total records = 97.

The church and surround graves is right in the centre of Luton, Bedfordshire. From the M1 motorway, junction 10, follow the signs to Luton Town Centre, and you'll be hard pressed to miss it.

Saint Mary Church is the oldest building in the town, dating back to 1137, and right in the centre, opposite the modern Arndale Shopping Centre and next door neighbours with Luton University.

This graveyard surrounding the church is fairly ancient. I am not sure if the churchyard surrounding it dates back as far as the church, as what is left of it would seem too small to accommodate so many burials. The churchyard is currently smallish, but not by any means tiny, and most of the headstones are either gone or worn down so that the original inscriptions are either no longer existent or else completely illegible.

The churchyard closed for burials in 1853, at which time a cemetery was opened a short distance away in Crawley Green Road, Luton. The churchyard is well maintained by the local council, and largely grassed over with a few trees and decorative borders of greenery rather than flowers. None of the graves are now looked after by family.

I am not certain of the current ownership of the cemetery. Although it surrounds the church, and the church has the right to use the land, I believe it is owned by Luton Borough Council, who maintains it as a public area. The North side is fully open 24 hours a day to whomsoever chooses to wander through. The south side is less accessible, but can be accessed via a permanently open small gateway from the car park of Youth House on St Mary's Road. The burial registers have long since be forwarded to Bedfordshire County Records Office in the County Town of Bedford, Bedfordshire.

I have transcribed these records, which represent all the legible tombstones present in the cemetery on 28th Jun 2004 when I walked the cemetery.

- Deborah Garrand

??, William, d. 13 Oct 1816?
Ainsworth, Elizabeth, d. 20 Jan 1850, age: 85yr, I know that my Redeemer liveth
Ainsworth, Mary, d. 1851, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Ainsworth
Ainsworth, Samuel, d. 20 Feb 1859, age: 76yr, The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him
Baker, Charles Massey, d. 18 Dec 1840, age: 70yr, Lt Colonel of the ?14th light dragoons, In the county of Tipperary
Barrett, Eliza, d. 1813?, wife of Thomas Barrett
Barton, Ann, d. 18??, age: 65?yr, daughter of Robert and Frances Barton
Barton, Frances, d. 11 May 1831, age: 88yr, wife of Robert Barton
Barton, Robert, d. 5 Feb 1823, age: 88yr
Bates, Edmund, d. 12 Jul 1848, age: 43yr, late of Batford Mills
Bates, James, d. 23 Dec 1853, age: 43yr
Bates, Joily, d. 19 May 1843 "Flamstead, Herts, age: 68yr, "only son of the late John Bates of Offley, Herts"
Bates?, Mary, d. 9 Feb 1844, age: 47yr, eldest daughter of Joily Bates
Bennett, Maria, d. 21 Nov 1815, age: 23yr, of Lewsey Farm. Daughter of William & Jane Bennett
Burr, Sarah Ann, d. 16 Dec 1851, age: 32yr, also an infant wife of Frederick Burr
Butterfield, Alice, d. 28 ?? 1807, age: 29?yr
Butterfield, John, d. 26 Feb 1812, age: 54yr
Chase, Frances, d. 21 May 1846, age: 91yr, relict of John Chase
Chase, John, d. 2 Apr 1843, age: 88yr
Chase, Thornton, d. 25 Jan 1846, age: 7yr, son of Edward and Sarah Chase
Clapham, Ann, d. Jan 18??, wife of William Clapham
Clapham, William, no dates
Cole, Eliza , no dates, wife of Thomas Cole
Cole, Thomas, no dates
Cook, Francis, d. 14 Sep 1824, age: 76yr
Cook, George, d. 26 Mar 1824, age: 42yr, son of Francis and Elizabeth Cook
Cook, Matthew, d. 1 Aug 1819, age: 42yr, son of Francis and Elizabeth Cook
Crawley, William, d. July 184?, age: 12yr
Cray, William, d. 1833 (or 1855), builder
Dancer, Mary, d. 30 Dec 1847, age: 65yr
Dancer, Matthew James, d. 5 Aug 1848, age: 6yr
Dancer, Matthew, d. 16 Apr 1851, age: 64yr
Danes, Mary, d. 6 May 1814, age: 14yr, daughter of Simon and Susannah Danes
Danes, Simon, d. 29 Mar 1833
Danes, Susannah, d. 25 Mar 1853, age: 79yr
Dymock, Mrs, d. 15 May 181?, age: 58yr, also of our child who died in its ??, wife of Robert Dymock
Ebbs, Samuel, d. 5 Aug 1832, age: 67yr
Ede, Miss Susanna, d. 20 Oct 1833, age: 46yr, died suddenly when on a visit to her friends at Luton "of Liskeard, Cornwall"
Ellierd, Susannah, d. 25 Apr 19??, wife of William Ellierd
Ellierd, William, d. June 1851, age: 45yr
Fossey, Bet, d. 11 Nov 1820, age: 65yr
Fossey, Daniel, d. 2 Mar 1809, age: 67yr
Fossey, Margaret, d. 25 Feb 1809, age: 30 or 50yr
Fossey, Martha, d. 23 Mar 1809, age: 64yr
Fossey, Mary, d. 9 Mar 1809, age: 66yr
Foster, Nanny, d. 15 Dec 18??, age: 72?yr, wife of Thomas Foster
Foster, Thomas, d. 10 ??? 1851, age: 65yr
Fullwood, Charles , d. Feb 1853, age: 67yr
Fullwood, Hannah, d. 31 Mar 1819, age: 37yr, wife of Mr Robert Fullwood of St Paul's Warden, Herts
Fullwood, Mrs ?, d. Feb 182?, age: 60yr, wife of Mr Charles Fullwood of this Parish
Fullwood, Mrs Ann Aldin, d. 21 Nov 1851, age: 44yr, second wife of Mr Charles Fullwood
Fullwood, Robert, d. 21 Jul 1839, age: 83yr
Grays, John Eb?, no dates, age: 73yr, also wife of the above
Gregory, Elizabeth, d. 14 Jun 1814, age: 41yr, wife of William Gregory
Haselgrove, Ann, d. 7 Jan 1855, age: 59yr, wife of Thomas Haselgrove
Haselgrove, Harriet, d. 15 Jun 1850, age: 19yr
Haselgrove, Matilda, d. 16 Mar 1858, age: 16yr
Haselgrove, Thomas, d. 8 Nov 1847, age: 53yr
Higgins, Harriot, no dates
Higgins, William, d. August 1812, age: 43yr
Higgins, William, no dates
Hill, Ann, d. 22 Jul 1832, age: 78yr, also two of their infant children William and Harriot formerly wife of William Higgins
Holiday?, William, no dates, age: 59yr
How, Abraham, d. 11 Sep 1804, age: 58yr
How, Elizabeth, d. 27 May 1813, age: 78yr
How, Mary, d. 28 Aug 1831, age: 55yr, wife of Richard How
How, Richard, d. 6 Apr 1822, age: 53yr, also 4 of his children who died in their infancy
Jones, Elizabeth, d. 4 Apr 1840, age: 39yr
Lawford, Sarah, d. Oct 18??, wife of Charles Lawford
Lawrence, William, d. 6 Aug 1844, age: 37 or 57yr
Long, Thomas, d. Mar ??, Taylor of London
Norris, Mary, d. 30 Apr 1841, age: 65yr, wife of Samuel Norris of London
Phillips, Thomas Martin, d. 30 Sep 1845
Pickard, James, d. 25 Oct 1787 Luton Park, age: 21yr, from accident
Reid, Hannah, d. 2 Sep 1818, age: 51yr, daughter of Francis and Elizabeth Cook
Scott, Walter, d. 16 Dec 1845, age: 91yr
Smith, Elizabeth, d. 28 Jul 1782, age: 16yr, daughter of Robert & Sarah Smith
Smith, John, d. 1831
Smith, Robert, d. 3 Feb 1791, age: 54yr
Smith, Sarah, d. 14 Jan 1783, age: 18yr, daughter of Robert & Sarah Smith
Smith, Sarah, d. 7 Sep 1798, age: 54yr, also two of their children, wife of Robert Smith
Smith, William, no dates
Stratton , Joseph, d. 1817
Swain, Mary, d. 20 Oct 1850, age: 65yr
Swift, John, b. 16 Dec 1789, d. 29 Jul 1818, age: 28yr, "late of Wyddlall, Herts"
Swift, Mary, d. 27 Jun 1834, age: 58yr
Taylor, Henry, d. 5 Mar 1812, age: 58 or 38yr
Taylor, Mary, d. 1816, age: 45yr, second wife of Henry Taylor
Taylor, Mary, d. 22 ?? 1792, wife of Henry Taylor
Townrow, Richard, d. 1 Jun 1842, age: 35yr
Waller, James, d. 14 Jan 1825, age: 42yr, died suddenly
Waller, Mary, d. 5 Oct 1829, age: 52yr, wife of James Waller
Waters, Maria, d. 27 Jul 1839, age: 63yr, daughter, late of Hampstead Middlesex, Spinster"
Webdale, Betsy, d. 25 May 1879, age: 30yr, wife of John Webdale
Welch, Elizabeth, d. 14 May 1841, age: 80yr
Williams, Caroline, d. 1 Jul 1869, age: 75yr, widow of John Williams
Williams, John, d. 16 Feb 1860 (or 1850?), age: 60yr, builder