TODAY, representatives of the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity are to receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
The award - presented by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire in recognition of the charity’s outstanding contribution to the local community - is equivalent to an MBE. It is the highest accolade given to a local voluntary group in the UK, and awarded for life.
Since the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity was established in 1985, the cemetery has become one of Bradford’s most interesting historical sites, revealing a treasure trove of stories from its past. Built on a steep promontory overlooking the city centre, this iconic old cemetery is a focal point for students of Bradford’s history. Researchers like myself have found it an invaluable resource.
Opened in 1854, the cemetery was managed by a private company until 1977 when it was liquidated. After being sold for a mere £5 to a private developer who was then not allowed to develop the site, the council stepped in to rescue it, making a compulsory purchase in 1984. It sponsored a two-year Community Programme to start the recovery and the cemetery was made a conservation area. While retaining ownership of the land, the council established in 1985 a charity for the newly-formed Friends of Undercliffe Cemetery to manage the restoration and protect the legacy.
The cemetery has seen some 123,000 burials in 23,000 graves (many graves such as pauper graves contain several bodies). It is maintained by 50 volunteers, including 12 researchers who investigate the lives of some of the many interesting people buried here, ranging from wealthy industrialists to those less fortunate. They make the burial records accessible and ensure that plots are available for purchase and burial. They also host regular tours and a cafe.
The main feature of the elevated site is the great terrace running right through the cemetery, giving panoramic views over the city and hills beyond. Here lie memorials of the so-called Bradford worthies from the 19th century. Some of the largest plots contain striking memorials such as the Jacob Behrens Memorial, the Isaac Holden Monument and the Mausoleum for Alfred Illingworth’s family, considered the cemetery showpiece.
Sir Jacob Behrens (1806-1889), a German Jew who emigrated to Yorkshire in his twenties, was one of the most impressive, influential men prominent in Bradford public service, about whom it was said: ‘He seemed to exist only to be of service to his fellow men.’ With three of the Isaac Holden children marrying three of the Alfred Illingworth children, their extended family was the most powerful Bradford family in the last half of the 19th century. Living and working close together, they employed thousands in their Bradford mills and at one time had three MPs in the family!
They make a stark contrast with the Quakers who bought 197 plots in 1855 after their previous burial ground was sold. Their area is notable because all their gravestones are laid flat, not upright, ‘no man being above another’.
Some of the most interesting memorials are hidden from this terrace, where volunteers have uncovered fascinating stories of people all but forgotten. Take Private Matthew Hughes (1822-1882) who lies in an obscure corner near to where he was born in Wapping Road. In the Crimean War he was the first Bradford soldier to win the Victoria Cross. It was in the first batch of 62, presented by Queen Victoria herself in Hyde Park.
William Hardaker lies in another corner of the cemetery. Better known as ‘Humbug Billy’, he sold sweets from his market stall where the old Rawson Market stood and one weekend in 1858 his sweets led to 20 deaths and illnesses of 198 people. Three men were arrested for manslaughter - the sweet wholesaler, the confectioner and his assistant, all acquitted in a complicated story where nobody could be blamed! The Government passed the Adulteration of Food or Drink Act (1860).
The headstone of Walter Calver (1830-1866) describes him as ‘Proprietor of the original marionettes’. A popular entertainer and showman, he travelled across the north of England with his troupe of up to 500 marionettes (from 14ins to four ft tall) and a mobile theatre for an audience of up to 1,000. Born in Hull, he married and settled in Bradford. On Christmas Day 1863 he entertained children at Bradford Workhouse.
Another fascinating story is Albert Munz, 19-year-old son of a German pork butcher, who died in 1918 fighting for the Middlesex Regiment. Known as the Kaiser’s Regiment, it was kept away from the front-line to avoid conflicts of interest. German pork butchers like the Munz family from Otley Road were liked and respected but when World War One broke out, they were targeted for abuse, despite being naturalised British citizens. Their family headstone says ‘Auf Wiedersehen!’
On a recent tour of the cemetery, researchers told of two early chief constables of Bradford about whom little had been known. One was FW Grauhan, originally from Prussia, succeeded by James Withers. Researchers at Undercliffe found that Withers’ wife, who bore him 10 children, secured ‘judicial separation’ on grounds of domestic violence. In Victorian times this must have been difficult to achieve. The case of the wife-beating chief constable seems to have been kept out of local newspapers, which would have damaged his reputation!
l See this Saturday’s T&A for Martin’s next article - on the man who designed Undercliffe Cemetery.
* Martin Greenwood's book, Every Day Bradford, has a story about the people and places of Bradford's past for every day of the year. Available online and from bookstores including Waterstones and Salts Mill.
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