In 1875 a new publication appeared in Teignmouth – the “Teignmouth Journal”, produced by W. Rogers Penn who together with his wife Emma ran a stationery and printing shop in Fore Street. The journal was published monthly and lasted for two years. It was an eclectic mix of local news, including minutes of council meetingsContinue reading “A Cemetery Ramble with William Rogers Penn”
Category Archives: Stories
Samuel Poole and Victorian Photography
Introduction Most stories about people buried in the cemetery originate because we have found their graves and there is something significant about the grave suggesting that some further research would be worthwhile. For instance: The person could have a significant rank – see, for example, ADMIRAL Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt The person could have anContinue reading “Samuel Poole and Victorian Photography”
A Footstone Legacy
The Discovery Section K in the “conformist” half of the cemetery is one of the oldest sections. It is also one of the smallest with only 29 graves nestled close to the front of the Episcopal chapel. It is backed by some impressive, now rusting, iron railings which were originally constructed to separate the “dissenters”Continue reading “A Footstone Legacy”
The Journalist Pioneer
Love never dies It is rare to find a grave with a reference going back almost 2000 years and, of course, when you do it prompts curiosity and research. “Uxorem vivam amare voluptas, defunctam religio” was written in the first century AD by the Roman poet Statius and re-surfaces on the cross of a graveContinue reading “The Journalist Pioneer”
The Railway Poet
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”
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”
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.
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 