St Bede's Cemetery
Many may not be aware that there is a Cemetery in Redhill’s Lane dedicated to Catholic burials. It was opened in 1867 and the last burial which was in a family plot was in 1996.
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The cemetery is sadly overgrown and although efforts were made prior to lockdown to clear the growth from the headstones it has since deteriorated.
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There is a list of burials held in the County Archives along with other information regarding the cemetery.
Recently a list of headstones and their inscriptions was found in St Bede’s presbytery it contains a number of familiar Durham names and priests and people from the surrounding parishes.
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History
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The cemetery is on a site bounded by Redhill’s Lane and the main London to Scotland East coast railway line.
In autumn 1865 Fr Platt, the parish priest of St Cuthbert’s, Old Elvet purchased the site from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral. The plans for a cemetery were approved by the Home Secretary on the 16 December 1865. The cemetery was consecrated in January 1866 and the chapel, mortuary and lych-gate were erected the following year.
The first funeral took place in the cemetery on the 23rd of January. 1866. It was a double funeral, of a priest and a nun: Fr James Hubbbersty aged 56 and Sister Mary Joseph Fallon, 25 years of age. We have been unable to find the date when the chapel was deconsecrated. However, it is known that George Chicken and his family lived there from 1933 to39. His occupation was listed as superintendent and gravedigger. The last recorded internment in the Register of Burials, which is in the archives at County Hall, is Phoebe Mary Harrington in April 1968. However, we do know from a parish register that there was a burial as late as 1996.
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