34 Low Row, crypt

In June 1998 during renovation works to No. 34 Low Row (once a church hall, now Baroque Public House), an unexpected early nineteenth century crypt was accidently broken into. The crypt contained nine burial vaults containing at least 25 coffins, many of which were well preserved with copper alloy nameplaces, coffin fittings and lead linings. The church hall was built in 1913 over the crypt, on part of a burying ground (HER 6037) shown on Wood's plan of 1826. Surtees records that the new overspill burial ground for St. Michael's Church was consecrated on August 9th 1810. The crypt was probably accessed by steps close to the rear wall of "Dr Gray's School" (Dr Grey was rector of St. Michael's Church). The burial ground was out of use by 1897. The crypt now consists of two parallel passages aligned east-west, running from the street frontage and blocked at the western end by crude brickwork probably in 1844-1857 when the crypt acess over overlain by an extension to Dr Grey's school. The passages have shallow-arched brick-vaulted ceilings approx 2.13m high at the apex. Along the sides of each corridor are a series of family vaults, each roughly square and roofed with a low north-south brick arch. The individual vaults were entered through low square-headed doorways which were bricked-up before the crypt was sealed. The walls and ceilings were limewashed. The side walls are a mixture of sandstone rubble and brick, the ceilings were in hand-made brick. Above each vault doorway was a sandstone lintel bearing the name of the family. At intervals along the walls of the passageways and in some of the vaults were cement settings for tapers or candles. Occasionally there were wrought iron candle holders hammered into the walls. Ten burial vaults were recorded, arranged in a regular grid plan. There are probably another two at the eastern end of the northern passage behind a C20 concrete support column. The coffins are of single-break form, all deposited facing to the east in the conventional Christian fashion. Many of the coffins had visible linings of lead with soldered joints. All the lead linings had an exterior shell of wood. No fabric coverings or decorative brass studwork was seen. Names on the vault lintels are: G. LOCKWOOD, T.S (contains the coffin of a Sarah Ann Davison who died in 1823), J. WRIGHT, T. BURN, EDWARD HINDE (died in 1840), BOWLBY, LIDDELL (this vault had an iron grille gate over the bricked up doorway), ALEXANDER MILNES, JAMES ROBINSON and SAMUEL WILD. After insertion of additional concrete supporting piers, the crypt has been resealed.