Graveyard & Cemetery
1784 Gravestone of Jane Charlesworth who departed this life in her 7th year of age
Inscriptions on gravestones in St Mary's Church graveyard dating back to the 17th century can still be found today. The oldest decipherable surviving gravestone dates back to 1685. Many of the gravestones are made in slate from the Swithland deposits and some from Welsh slate. There are ancient memorials lining the path to the church doors, with their inscriptions still visible. For those interested in the various legible inscriptions please refer to detailed documentation by Samuel Stewart which may be found in the 'From Asgothporp To Osgathorpe' document that can be found here
THE GRAVEYARD
THE CEMETERY
The distance of a funeral procession away from the north-east corner of the village, across the Ashby Road, the cemetery is accessed through a stone porch that opens into a peaceful scene bordered with a small orchard. While ashes can still be interred at St Mary’s Church, local burials now take place here under the watchful eye of the majestic juniper tree.
Land for the new cemetery was bought by the Parish Council in 1936. The two documents dated 2nd and 7th April 1936 show the transfer of the land from T F Siddons to the Parish Council.
Another document called ‘Sentence of Consecration’ signed by Cyril Bardsley, Lord Bishop of Leicester refers to the plot of land purchased in 1936 as 'now being properly fenced off, having suitable entrance gates' and records the Secretary of State approval and the Minister of Health sanctioning the land for cemetery use.
The consecration procedure was started in 1935 whilst the Revd T Watson was Rector of Osgathorpe. However, he having left the Parish in January 1938 (to Monyash, Derbyshire) the Revd F W Walker, the Vicar of Hugglescote, took over the consecration arrangements.
It was consecrated for burials on 26 February 1938. The first being John Henry Green who died on the 11th June of that year as can been seen in the burial records shown. He was a lorry driver and died aged 40.
The next entry in the burial records shows that of Sergeant Samuel Bartholomew Albert Smith of Osgathorpe whose WW2 Commonwealth War Grave can be found here.
