Elston Church Project – Burial Index

The Church burial registers begin on 12th May 1572 and continue in a near unbroken run to the present day. Between 1800 and 1899, 699 burials were recorded. The burial registers for the period 1829-1940 have been transcribed and are available as a 36 page A4 booklet. A typical page will show the name, place of death, date of burial, age and the officiating priest. It may on occasion mention& the occupation of the deceased (eg farmer, surgeon, bricklayer, parish clerk etc.), whether the person was a widow, the name of the husband or wife, if the child was illegitimate, names of the parents etc. The registers also include the names of both adults and children who died in the Southwell Workhouse and those in the Elston almshouses buried in the churchyard.

The transcriptions will be of particular interest to genealogists and family historians whose relations and ancestors lived and died in the village. The burial registers also& show that villagers died in a variety of places from London to Bath, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Buxton etc. The bodies were then taken, in most instances by horse and cart back to Elston for burial and this could be a long and arduous journey to their final resting place.

There are of course thousands of villagers buried in the churchyard whose headstones or wooden or stone markers have not survived the passage of time. It may be surprising to learn that it was not only the very wealthy that could afford headstones. There are a number in the churchyard for the poorer members of society including labourers and those who lived and died in the village almshouses.

The following are a sample of pages that can be found within the Elston Burial Registers. Those requiring greater detail should consult the Nottinghamshire County Archive, and those interested in the period 1829 - 1940 may wish to purchase a complete paper version of the typed transcriptions, via this website (see Merchandising).