English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
8862
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
424460
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
563890
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
A large vaulted chamber in the cathedral courtyard. The chamber contains the coffins of William Riddell, Roman Catholic Bishop (1807-1847) and Rev. William Fletcher (died 1848). Both men died of typhoid. The crypt was never opened again. In December 2001, the crypt was rediscovered by Ground Penetrating Radar. The chamber measured 5m x 3m and has an arched roof. The height of the chamber is approx 1.7m. The top of the roof is 1.2m below present ground level. There may be a side chamber to the east which is 3m x 2m in plan. An anomaly to the west is likely to be the main entrance. There is possibly another entrance to the east (like Rippon Cathedral and Hexham Abbey). In 2003, during the construction of a new cloister and courtyard the crypt was opened. It contains shelves for 20 coffins but 18 are unoccupied.
Site Type: Broad
Crypt
SITEDESC
A large vaulted chamber in the cathedral courtyard. The chamber contains the coffins of William Riddell, Roman Catholic Bishop (1807-1847) and Rev. William Fletcher (died 1848). Both men died of typhoid. The crypt was never opened again. In December 2001, the crypt was rediscovered by Ground Penetrating Radar. The chamber measured 5m x 3m and has an arched roof. The height of the chamber is approx. 1.7m. The top of the roof is 1.2m below present ground level. There may be a side chamber to the east which is 3m x 2m in plan. An anomaly to the west is likely to be the main entrance. There is possibly another entrance to the east (like Rippon Cathedral and Hexham Abbey). In 2003, during the construction of a new cloister and courtyard the crypt was opened. It contains shelves for 20 coffins but 18 are unoccupied.
Site Name
RC Cathedral of St. Mary, crypt
Site Type: Specific
Crypt
HER Number
13240
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 124; Northumbrian Surveys, December 2001, Report on Ground Penetrating Radar Survey at Cathedral Church of St. Mary, Clayton Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
8862
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
424470
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
563890
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
Memorial to William Riddell (1807-1847), Roman Catholic Bishop, in the form of a chest tomb. The tomb was possibly designed by A.W.N. Pugin, who was architect for the cathedral. It shows the Bishop's initials, his coat of arms and him attending a sick person. The Bishop is actually buried in a subterranean vault just south of the tomb. William Riddell was the son of Ralph Riddell, a racehorse breeder. The family were staunch Catholics. He studied in Rome then returned to Newcastle in 1832 to become assistant to the Rev. James Worswick (see HER 13238). William became bishop in 1843 and conducted mass at the opening of St. Mary's Cathedral in 1844. He died from typhoid in 1847 at his home in Charlotte Square.
Site Type: Broad
Tomb
SITEDESC
Memorial to William Riddell (1807-1847), Roman Catholic Bishop, in the form of a chest tomb. The tomb was possibly designed by A.W.N. Pugin, who was architect for the cathedral. It shows the Bishop's initials, his coat of arms and him attending a sick person. The Bishop is actually buried in a subterranean vault just south of the tomb. William Riddell was the son of Ralph Riddell, a racehorse breeder. The family were staunch Catholics. He studied in Rome then returned to Newcastle in 1832 to become assistant to the Rev. James Worswick (see HER 13238). William became bishop in 1843 and conducted mass at the opening of St. Mary's Cathedral in 1844. He died from typhoid in 1847 at his home in Charlotte Square.
Site Name
RC Cathedral of St. Mary, chest tomb
Site Type: Specific
Chest Tomb
HER Number
13239
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 124
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
8862
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
424470
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
563900
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
James Worswick (1771-1843) was a Roman Catholic priest. He was born in Lancaster and was the son of a banker. He trained for the priesthood in France, escaping back to England during the Revolution of 1789. He continued his training at Crook Hall. He was appointed priest to the secular mission and worked from an old house in Bell's Court off Newgate Street in Newcastle. He acquired a house in Pilgrim Street and built a brick church in the garden. By the late 1830s, the church was too small. In 1842 he acquired a triangular plot of land in Clayton Street West on which to build a large Roman Catholic church, later to became St. Mary's Cathedral. The church opened a year after James Worswick's death. Worswick Street, on which St. Andrew's RC Church stands, was named after him. He lies in a vault in the nave. The brass cross from the vault has been moved into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
Site Type: Broad
Burial Vault
SITEDESC
James Worswick (1771-1843) was a Roman Catholic priest. He was born in Lancaster and was the son of a banker. He trained for the priesthood in France, escaping back to England during the Revolution of 1789. He continued his training at Crook Hall. He was appointed priest to the secular mission and worked from an old house in Bell's Court off Newgate Street in Newcastle. He acquired a house in Pilgrim Street and built a brick church in the garden. By the late 1830s, the church was too small. In 1842 he acquired a triangular plot of land in Clayton Street West on which to build a large Roman Catholic church, later to became St. Mary's Cathedral. The church opened a year after James Worswick's death. Worswick Street, on which St. Andrew's RC Church stands, was named after him. He lies in a vault in the nave. The brass cross from the vault has been moved into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
Site Name
RC Cathedral of St. Mary, grave of James Worswick
Site Type: Specific
Burial Vault
HER Number
13238
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, pages 122-123
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
03
DAY2
09
District
Newcastle
Easting
420740
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NW 69
Northing
565360
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Mid 20th Century 1933 to 1966
Place
Denton Burn
Description
Opened in October 1934 at a cost of nearly £54,000. The architect was J.J. Hill. It was supposedly the only crematorium between Edinburgh and Darlington and was meant to solve Newcastle's burial problems. The cemetery includes the 1939-45 war memorial (HER 10961 and 11930) with around 40 headstones. There is an area for Muslim burials in the south-west part of the cemetery. The crematorium includes the loggia with memorial tablets fixed to the walls, a Garden of Remembrance for scattered ashes and a room with a Book of Remembrance. The first official cremation took place at Woking Crematorium in 1885. Until 1932 less than 1% of deaths were followed by cremation. In 1991 the figure was 71%.
Site Type: Broad
Crematorium
SITEDESC
Opened in October 1934 at a cost of nearly £54,000. The architect was J.J. Hill. It was supposedly the only crematorium between Edinburgh and Darlington and was meant to solve Newcastle's burial problems. The cemetery includes the 1939-45 war memorial (HER 10961 and 11930) with around 40 headstones. There is an area for Muslim burials in the south-west part of the cemetery. The crematorium includes the loggia with memorial tablets fixed to the walls, a Garden of Remembrance for scattered ashes and a room with a Book of Remembrance. The first official cremation took place at Woking Crematorium in 1885. Until 1932 less than 1% of deaths were followed by cremation. In 1991 the figure was 71%.
Site Name
West Road, cemetery and crematorium
Site Type: Specific
Crematorium
HER Number
13237
Form of Evidence
Extant Building
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, pages 120-121; Hilary J Grainger, 2005, Death Redesigned, pp 459-60; National Monuments Record Monument No. 1528449
YEAR1
2010
YEAR2
2011
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423710
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MATERIAL
Sandstone
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564190
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Hanoverian 1714 to 1837
Place
Elswick
Description
This building included the chapel and register office and the sexton's house. It has been demolished. The architects were John and James Baker. Work on the cemetery began in 1829 and was completed in 1831. The sexton was paid by the grave (three shillings for an adult, two shillings for a child and one shilling for an infant) plus £4 per year for cemetery maintenance. Three shillings a day were paid for any work beyond normal duties. His house was rent-free.
Site Type: Broad
Place of Worship
SITEDESC
This building included the chapel and register office and the sexton's house. It has been demolished. The architects were John and James Baker. Work on the cemetery began in 1829 and was completed in 1831. The sexton was paid by the grave (three shillings for an adult, two shillings for a child and one shilling for an infant) plus £4 per year for cemetery maintenance. Three shillings a day were paid for any work beyond normal duties. His house was rent-free.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, chapel
Site Type: Specific
Cemetery Chapel
HER Number
13236
Form of Evidence
Destroyed Monument
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 106-7
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423700
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564170
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Elswick
Description
Joshua Watson (1771-1853) was born in Allendale. He became a cheesemonger in The Side. In the early 1800s he bought Bensham Grove as a country cottage but lived there permanently. His son Joseph (1807-1874) married Sarah Spence, and became a solicitor and poet. Joseph and Sarah's son Robert Spence Watson (1837-1911) was also a solicitor. He continued to live at Bensham Grove, which became a focus for social and political reformers and Quakers. Joshua Watson's headstone is missing.
Site Type: Broad
Grave Marker
SITEDESC
Joshua Watson (1771-1853) was born in Allendale. He became a cheesemonger in The Side. In the early 1800s he bought Bensham Grove as a country cottage but lived there permanently. His son Joseph (1807-1874) married Sarah Spence, and became a solicitor and poet. Joseph and Sarah's son Robert Spence Watson (1837-1911) was also a solicitor. He continued to live at Bensham Grove, which became a focus for social and political reformers and Quakers. Joshua Watson's headstone is missing.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, grave of Joshua Watson
Site Type: Specific
Gravestone
HER Number
13235
Form of Evidence
Destroyed Monument
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 119
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423690
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564120
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Elswick
Description
Corsair was the infant son of Shontayiga (Little Wolf) and Okeweme, members of a troupe of Native Americans from Iowa (Black Bear clan), who arrived in Newcastle in 1845 to exhibit their songs and war dances. The group spent almost a week here. The young boy died in Dundee soon after their visit to Newcastle. The family requested that he was buried at Newcastle.

The inscription on the ledger stone reads 'THE GRAVE OF CORSAIR INFANT SON OF SHON-TA-YIGA AND OKEE-WEME NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS OF THE IOWAY TRIBE WHO DIED AT DUNDEE 8TH OF 2ND MONTH 1845 AGED 8 MONTHS. THE REMAINS WERE INTERRED AT NEWCASTLE BY DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED PARENTS'.
Site Type: Broad
Grave Marker
SITEDESC
Corsair was the infant son of Shontayiga (Little Wolf) and Okeweme, members of a troupe of Native Americans from Iowa (Black Bear clan), who arrived in Newcastle in 1845 to exhibit their songs and war dances. The group spent almost a week here. The young boy died in Dundee soon after their visit to Newcastle. The family requested that he was buried at Newcastle.
The inscription on the ledger stone reads 'THE GRAVE OF CORSAIR INFANT SON OF SHON-TA-YIGA AND OKEE-WEME NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS OF THE IOWAY TRIBE WHO DIED AT DUNDEE 8TH OF 2ND MONTH 1845 AGED 8 MONTHS. THE REMAINS WERE INTERRED AT NEWCASTLE BY DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED PARENTS'.
Anna Richardson, a Quaker, organised the burial. The Quakers visited the party while they were in Newcastle and found 'a party of 14 indians squatting on the floor of a small apartment, baby strapped in its cradle, and looking comfortable, having a crown of bells to jingle when it pleased - and White Cloud's little daughter running about amongst us'. John Wigham Richardson was about 8 years old when the group visited. He later wrote 'we youngsters dreamed of buffaloes and tomahawks, moccasins, bows and arrows and of the solemn forests and plains of the Great West. I shall never forget the delight of seeing them rub two pieces of wood together and then blowing up a fire.'
The troup moved to Paris later in 1845. They were received by Louis-Philippe at the Louvre, where they performed the Little Wolf's War Dance and presented a pipe to the King. The visit was painted by American painter George Catlin, who accompanied the Iowas in Europe. Karl Girardet produced an oil painting in 1845 of the troup performing the dance at Tuileries. This hangs in the Chateau de Versailles.
Catlin produced an engraving of the troup of Iowas in 1840 and turned this into a painting in 1860. The group includes Okeweme holding Corsair in his cradle. Catlin also painted individual portraits of some of the troup, including one of Shontayiga.
Okeweme (Corsair's mother) also tragically died on 11th June 1845 aged just 17. She is buried in an unmarked grave in Montmatre Cemetery in Paris.
A drawing of a proposed monument to Okeweme appeared in L'Illustration on 2nd August 1845. This was never made. But one of the bas-reliefs proposed for her monument is featured on the funerary monument for Aristide Ollivier (Parisian journalist, died 1851) in the cimetiere St. Lazare at Montpellier. The bronze statue of Ollivier on top of the monument, is by Auguste Preault.
Auguste Preault also produced a bronze bust of Okeweme 1845-1849, which is on display in the Museum of St. Lo in Paris. The bust was restored in 2018.
There is a drawing of Shontayiga at the deathbed of his wife Okeweme in George Sand's book 'Relation d'un voyage chez les sauvages de Paris'.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, grave of Corsair
Site Type: Specific
Gravestone
HER Number
13234
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 118; Fabrice Le Corguille, 3 March 2019, 'Condenser toute une vie en un trait, toute une ame dans une expression' (Powerpoint presentation for a lecture held on 3 March 2019 at the Musee des Beaux Arts de St. Lo, Paris); 'Saint-Lo. O-Ke-We-Me, vedette d'un jour au musee des Beaux-Arts', article in Ouest France, 4 March 2019; Marcelle Simon, 2019, 'Condenser toute une vie en un trait, toute une ame dans une expression', review of Fabrice Le Corguille's lecture for Les Amis des Musees municipaux de Saint-Lo
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423680
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564180
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Hanoverian 1714 to 1837
Place
Elswick
Description
James Wilkie (1762-1834) was a surgeon and apothecary of the Newcastle Dispensary. His memorial was erected by the Governors of the Dispensary as 'a mark of respect for his humane and faithful services over a period of 50 years'. It depicts a snake wrapped around a tree. His son took over his work, but jumped to his death from a first floor window in 1838, aged 40. He is buried in this cemetery also.
Site Type: Broad
Grave Marker
SITEDESC
James Wilkie (1762-1834) was a surgeon and apothecary of the Newcastle Dispensary. His memorial was erected by the Governors of the Dispensary as 'a mark of respect for his humane and faithful services over a period of 50 years'. It depicts a snake wrapped around a tree. His son took over his work, but jumped to his death from a first floor window in 1838, aged 40. He is buried in this cemetery also.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, grave of James Wilkie
Site Type: Specific
Gravestone
HER Number
13233
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 118
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423650
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564160
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Elswick
Description
John Fenwick (1787-1867) was a lawyer. His elaborate monument was designed by Benjamin Green. John was born in Hexham, the son of a saddler. He was taught navigation and went to sea as a cabin boy aged 14. He left the sea to study law. In 1814 he married Ann Rumney, daughter of the headmaster of Alnwick Grammar School. He was a staunch Baptist and a friend of Richard Grainger. John Fenwick began the movement for a non-conformist cemetery in Newcastle. He was an early member and treasurer of the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries.
Site Type: Broad
Grave Marker
SITEDESC
John Fenwick (1787-1867) was a lawyer. His elaborate monument was designed by Benjamin Green. John was born in Hexham, the son of a saddler. He was taught navigation and went to sea as a cabin boy aged 14. He left the sea to study law. In 1814 he married Ann Rumney, daughter of the headmaster of Alnwick Grammar School. He was a staunch Baptist and a friend of Richard Grainger. John Fenwick began the movement for a non-conformist cemetery in Newcastle. He was an early member and treasurer of the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, grave of John Fenwick
Site Type: Specific
Gravestone
HER Number
13232
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, page 116
YEAR1
2010
English, British
ADDITINF
y
AREA_STAT
Conservation Area
Class
Religious Ritual and Funerary
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5207
DAY1
03
District
Newcastle
Easting
423670
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
MONTH1
06
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564180
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Elswick
Description
John (1799-1859) and Edward (1805-1863) Richardson were tanners. The Richardsons were Quakers and were originally farmers, branching out into tanning skins after a poor harvest. The family came to Tyneside in the mid 18th century and the father Isaac, set up a tannery in North Shields. In 1784 the tannery was moved into Newcastle, just outside Pilgrim Gate. In 1790 it moved again to Newgate on the site of the Co-op. John and Edward inherited the tannery and began to mechanise it. A steam engine replaced the windmill for grinding the tan bark. The brothers lived in Summerhill Grove. In 1857 the Northumberland and District Bank, in which they were major shareholders, collapsed. John died of apoplexy two years later. Edward moved to a smaller house and died a few months later after a fire at the Newgate tannery in 1863. A new tannery was opened at Elswick the same year and survived for over 100 years. The two gravestones are buried.
Site Type: Broad
Grave Marker
SITEDESC
John (1799-1859) and Edward (1805-1863) Richardson were tanners. The Richardsons were Quakers and were originally farmers, branching out into tanning skins after a poor harvest. The family came to Tyneside in the mid 18th century and the father Isaac, set up a tannery in North Shields. In 1784 the tannery was moved into Newcastle, just outside Pilgrim Gate. In 1790 it moved again to Newgate on the site of the Co-op. John and Edward inherited the tannery and began to mechanise it. A steam engine replaced the windmill for grinding the tan bark. The brothers lived in Summerhill Grove. In 1857 the Northumberland and District Bank, in which they were major shareholders, collapsed. John died of apoplexy two years later. Edward moved to a smaller house and died a few months later after a fire at the Newgate tannery in 1863. A new tannery was opened at Elswick the same year and survived for over 100 years. The two gravestones are buried.
Site Name
Westgate Hill Cemetery, grave of J and E Richardson
Site Type: Specific
Gravestone
HER Number
13231
Form of Evidence
Structure
Sources
Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, pages 114-115
YEAR1
2010