Beneath the Weeping Lime The weeping lime in Teignmouth Old Cemetery hides many secrets. Stretching low across sections T and U in the older part of the cemetery its canopy covers graves which lie invisible for a large part of the year. When autumn approaches though and the leaves burnish and fall, the secrets areContinue reading “The Railway Poet”
Author Archives: Everyman
Of War, Brigands, Ice-cream and the Antonuccis
Introduction Baking in the hottest of hot July heatwaves my thoughts turned to keeping cool which inevitably led to ice cream. In turn that reminded me of a grave which I had recently re-discovered in a far corner of Teignmouth Old Cemetery. It is the grave of Angelo Antonio Antonucci. At heart this story isContinue reading “Of War, Brigands, Ice-cream and the Antonuccis”
The First Twenty
Teignmouth Old Cemetery officially opened in early 1856 and the first person to be buried there was Mary Bowden. She was buried in an unmarked, unbricked grave in what appears to be a fairly arbitrary position (plot number F51) in consecrated ground close to the Anglican (“non-dissenters”) chapel. The event had a brief mention inContinue reading “The First Twenty”
A Walk on The Wild Side
Or ….. Our Wildflower Project The Victorian Heritage In 1856, when Teignmouth Old Cemetery was created, the Victorians had a vision of “extra-mural” cemeteries not just as burial places but also as green spaces for people to come and enjoy. They viewed them as “garden cemeteries”, oases of peace which anyone in the community could enjoy. ThatContinue reading “A Walk on The Wild Side”
Of Mining, Military, Migration and the Steer Family Grave
From Victoria, Australia A couple of months ago we were privileged to receive from across the Atlantic the wonderful, adventurous story of Herbert Douglas Langston. We can now add to our international connections following a contact from Sandra Fuller of Victoria, Australia who was searching for the family grave of Ann and Philip Steer whoContinue reading “Of Mining, Military, Migration and the Steer Family Grave”
Tunbridge to Texas to Teignmouth
It’s not often that you get a story straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to share this one. We were contacted by Wallace (Randy) Langston after the discovery of his great-grandfather’s grave in the cemetery and he has subsequently sent this amazing story about hisContinue reading “Tunbridge to Texas to Teignmouth”
The Vagabond Husband
There are many ‘child graves’ in Teignmouth old cemetery. This is the story behind one of those. I choose the phrase ‘behind one of those’ carefully because it is rare that a child’s lifetime would be of historical significance. But the events leading up to a child’s birth and death are a different matter, andContinue reading “The Vagabond Husband”
The Curious Case of Mangolds, the General and the Eggs
Here are three little stories which come from our archive of newspaper articles. They revolve around General Frederick J Davis who was buried in the cemetery in 1901 alongside his wife, Sophia.
A Big Thanks
As we start the new year we would like to thank everyone who has contributed in one way or another to the research behind the various historical stories which have appeared on this site in the last year. It’s wonderful that not only do we have a cadre of support locally but that there areContinue reading “A Big Thanks”
Murder Most Foul
Teignmouth Old Cemetery has already yielded some of its secrets but this is something new – our first crime. Not just any crime but a murder so gruesome that it shocked the nation at the time.
Teignmouth Old Cemetery 