Category: Memorials and headstones

Grave Recording Project- can you help?

As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations we are undertaking a project to photograph all the gravestones in Section 16 as we are concerned at the speed with which they are deteriorating. Each headstone/memorial will be photographed and inscriptions recorded for future generations who may be seeking relatives. If you want to assist please e mail us at  friendsofbec@gmail.com and one of our committee members will be in touch. We hope to extend this to other sections of the cemetery.

 

Unmarked Grave

Back in November we featured John Charles Shaw, Buried in an unmarked grave in Brandwood End.. We were heartened by the interest this short article  sparked. Little did we know that it was a gift that would keep giving.  The resulting detail is the next phase but we have an idea it wont stop there……..      
                John Charles Shaw – Penistone footballing pioneer – NUMBER THREE
OK, what to say about John Charles Shaw? Let’s just start with a few of his contributions to our beautiful game:
· Founder of the worlds 2nd oldest association football club, Hallam FC
· First captain of the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC
· First ever player to lift a football trophy as captain of the winning team. Youdan Cup 1867
· Captain of Hallam FC for the world’s first ever club football match, Hallam FC vs Sheffield FC, 1860
· Established the world’s first ever county FA, Sheffield FA, 1867
· Played in the first ever intercity match, Sheffield vs Nottinghamshire 1865
· Played in the first ever inter association match, Bramall Lane, 1871
· Probably most importantly, President of Sheffield FA when the rules of football were finally unified in 1877.
Shaw was born in Penistone in 1830, the son of a bootmaker. Again, like our other 2 Penistone footballing pioneers (John Ness Dransfield & John Marsh), he was inspired to play football, baptised & educated by the Reverend Samuel Sunderland. Baptised at St John’s Church in Penistone & educated at Penistone Grammer School.
John worked as a clerk at Dransfield’s solicitors in Penistone before moving to Sheffield in the early 1850’s. He married Mary Ann Garnett in 1853, and the couple moved into premises at 19 Norfolk Row. (now Imperial Chambers). John operated a Legal Stationers business from the same address. It was during this period that Shaw developed relationships with like-minded footballing enthusiasts and able to take his Penistone footballing influences to Sheffield FC as their first official captain in 1859 (possibly earlier).
Shaw retained his membership of the Sheffield Club despite forming the world’s second oldest club Hallam in late 1860.
Shaw’s involvement with the development of the game in Sheffield and beyond is hugely impressive.
The Sheffield and Hallam clubs were involved in the first inter-club match in December 1860 with Creswick and Shaw the opposing captains.
John Charles Shaw was a member of the Sheffield team that played against a London representative side at Battersea Park in 1866.
The Hallam club, with John Charles Shaw as captain, were victorious in winning the world’s first adult knock-out football competition, the Youdan Trophy in 1867.
John Charles Shaw was a member of the Youdan organising committee which led to the establishing of the Sheffield Football Association in 1867. In 1868 he was Vice-President and in 1869 he became President of the Association. A position he retained for 14 years.
Shaw was voted to be 12th man in the first inter-association game held at Bramall Lane in 1871 between London and Sheffield. Charles William Alcock had selected a team to represent London but were a man short. John Charles Shaw played in goal for the visiting side.
In 1876, the Sheffield Association Challenge Cup was initiated. John Charles Shaw captained the Thursday Wanderers aged 46, in the first round of the cup, losing 5-4 to the Heeley club.
In 1877, with John Charles Shaw as President, the Sheffield Association, reached an agreement with the London Association regarding the rules of the game. This established a universal code for the playing of association football throughout England.
John Charles Shaw eventually moved to Birmingham due to work commitments, where he remained until his death in 1918.
The two decades between 1857 to 1877 are the most crucial in the making of the modern game of association football, prior to the onset of professionalism and leagues. John Charles Shaw straddled these two decades being at the forefront of this making and was a continuous presence helping to influence and shape the evolvement of the game. The world of football and Sheffield in particular, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
John Charles Shaw’s grave at Brandwood End Cemetery, Kings Heath, Birmingham. It is the sad empty bit between the other two graves in the photo below.
Thanks to Kevin Neill for source information and photos.

Trees down in recent storm.

Many of you will already know that there were many trees brought down in the recent storm.  The cemetery didn’t escape unscathed and we think this is the worst time the trees have had- at least in the last 20 years.

We fear we have lost at least 10 very large trees, several large bows and many more smaller trees and shrubs. Some of the trees were deciduous and without leaves so it was fairly easy to see if there was any headstone damage. We are pleased to say that miraculously very few graves have been seriously affected but it is less easy to say what has happened under the large Conifers.

Until the trees have been removed, and that will take some time, you will not be able to get any reassurance as to the condition of memorial beneath them. As you can appreciate there are many trees down in many locations and the cemetery was shut on Sunday and early this morning to allow the inspection of the damage. We believe opening hours are now as normal but this may change as and when Tree Surgeons are operating in various areas.

It is noticeable that the main cause of the felled trees seems to be very turbulent wind in confined areas of the cemetery during the storm and the waterlogged soil after a huge amount of rain. The trees themselves generally appeared healthy. So sad as most of them were mature and part of the Grade 2 avenue plan.

Football Connection to Brandwood End

I am sure we must have some followers who are also interested in Football? This gentleman is buried in Brandwood End in an unmarked grave. Like many, he has a back story and a serious football connection!
 
John Charles Shaw – born 1830 Penistone a market town in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley West Riding of Yorkshire – died on the 23rd November 1918 aged eighty eight. His wife Louise had purchased the burial plot at Brandwood End Cemetery, Kings Heath Birmingham. Full obituaries appeared in the Birmingham and Sheffield press,
Educated at Penistone Gramma School – based on evidence took football played at Penistone to Sheffield in 1853 – First Captain of Sheffield Football Club – the world’s oldest football club founded1857 and Founder of Hallam Football Club 1860. Member of first representative side – London v Sheffield 1866. Captain of winning Hallam Club for Youdan Trophy 1867 – the world’s first organised knockout challenge cup. President of Sheffield Football Association – first provincial association in the country 1869 – oversaw the amalgamation with the Football Association in 1877.
Source kind permission of Hallam Football Club
Penistone History Archive
1866 was the year that saw the first representative soccer match between London and Sheffield and John Charles Shaw was selected to play in this first encounter. 1867 saw the Youdan Cup competition take place, with twelve Sheffield clubs taking part in this, the world’s first knock-out tournament, which was eventually won by Hallam. The Sheffield Football Association was formed shortly after the Youdan Cup.
What is highly significant is that John Charles Shaw is a major contributor in almost all of the initial stages of football development in Sheffield. He is connected not only with the establishment of the Sheffield Football Club, Hallam Club, and Youdan Cup, but also the founding of the Sheffield Football Association with its Players Insurance Fund, and the historic links with London and Birmingham.
http://www.playingpasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/JCS-part-3-image-4.jpg.png
http://www.playingpasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/JCS-part-3-image-5.jpg.png-300×169.jpg
The Youdan Trophy. The world’s first knock-out challenge cup competition. Won by the Hallam Club and held aloft in triumph by the captain, John Charles Shaw.
The following year saw the Cromwell Cup, the world’s second oldest competition. Won by the Wednesday Club and held aloft in triumph, by the victorious captain John Marsh, both captains, former pupils of Penistone Grammar School. Source: by permission of Hallam Football Club.
John Charles Shaw’s grave at Brandwood End Cemetery –
Section B2 C/E Grave 1326 – the empty space in the middle plot.

Deutsche Bank visit again to help clear shrubbery

Staff from Deutsche Bank turned out again on the 9th to help clear a huge coppice of Holly and Ivy that had overtaken a number of graves making it impossible for family to locate or visit.

The photograph below shows the effort it takes to clear Ivy once it has got hold. Great care has to be taken to prevent damage to lead lettering. Follow this link as it shows the events of the day and a sequence of photographs detailing the progress to reveal this memorial. There were many more as well but this one took almost an hour of two peoples time and determination.

 

Open event in Civilian Garden

September was an unusually busy month for FBEC  with the inclusion of two ‘main’ events for us. We have featured the unveiling of our new Memorial stone but we also had an Open Event for Heritage and were able to tell visitors the stories behind the names on the Memorial.

 

We were very pleased to welcome the new local Selly Oak MP and Minister for Veterans. Al Carns. He was very interested in the records showing the sites of bomb damage and relating to the deaths of those listed on the new Memorial.

Our thanks to all those interested people who called in to chat.

 

 

HERITAGE WEEK BEGINS IN BRANDWOOD END

Take part in some of the Heritage Open  events in Brandwood End Cemetery. Add them to your diary now…

  • WEDNESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2024- 2PM Join Ian Binnie as he takes you on a Tour of the memorials to those killed in 1944. (The 80th anniversary of D Day and other crucial battles). Ian will present biographies of several men and women who served and died and are buried in Brandwood End. There is no need to book this event. (THE TOUR WILL LAST APPROX. ONE HOUR. MEET BY THE LODGE, ON THE MAIN DRIVE. )
  • THURSDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER AT 7.30PM ‘Over by Christmas 1944’ A ZOOM event. To receive a ZOOM link please e mail Ian Binnie on warwickfus@btinternet.com
  • SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 11AM TILL 2 PM Who Lies Beneath? Join the Friends for an open event in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance (in Section 33) to learn more about those bombing victims buried in this communal peaceful space and see our recently installed Memorial stone carrying their names. We will be joined by local WW2 Air Raid and BARRA Historian, Matt Felkin, who will happily share his records and knowledge with visitors.

friendsofbec@gmail.com

Cross and Screen Walls repaired and cleaned.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have been busy cleaning and repairing the Cross of Sacrifice and the Screen Walls as part of their maintenance programme. All looking clean, tidy and ready for the 125 year anniversary of the first funeral in Brandwood End Cemetery on the 13th April 1899. (We will be posting more about this anniversary nearer the date.)