THE final resting place of Gargrave poet and schoolteacher Robert Story has been traced after a lengthy search.

The investigation was undertaken by John and Beth Tillott, who now live in the poet's former house in North Street.

They started their quest to discover the truth after moving to the house four years ago, and eventually uncovered his burial place on the east side of Brompton Cemetery in London. They had originally thought he was buried in Battersea.

The poet is also commemorated in his home village - a bronze plaque was erected by the then owner of the house, Harry Turner, whose son Capt John H Turner still lives in the village. The unveiling was reported in the Craven Herald on August 31 1934.

The house had been specially built for the Northumberland-born poet when he was a schoolteacher in Gargrave. He lived there with his wife, Ellen (ne Ellison) from 1828 to 1843.

In the later years, Story moved to London and lived in Battersea until his death on July 7 1860. It is believed his wife bore him nine children and it is thought that only two were still alive at the time of his death.

The Herald's report of 1934 noted that a stone marking the position of a long-forgotten grave in a Battersea cemetery bore the inscription: RS 1860, and said Harry Turner would be grateful for confirmation that this was indeed the poet's last resting place.

Now Mr and Mrs Tillott have uncovered the stone not at Battersea, but in Brompton Cemetery about 20 miles away.

The inscription was as indicated and the cemetery supervisor confirmed the plot was indeed occupied by Story. He added that he had died at 12 Harley Street, Battersea, and was buried on July 11 1860 at the age of 64.

Mr Tillott says these facts are confirmed in John James' book "The Lyrical and Other Minor Poems of Robert Story With a Sketch of His Life and Writings", published in 1861.

"Unfortunately the truth surrounding Story's final resting place has come too late to be imparted to Mr Turner who died in 1969, though the information has been passed on to his son," said Mr Tillott.

Mr Tillott would himself like to hear from anyone who has any books or poems by Story or any photographs of Story's house at Gargrave taken prior to 1910. He would also like to know if anyone has any information relating to the Franzee family, a father and son, who occupied the house between 1843 and 1925.

The Tillotts are also planning to visit the Northumberland places mentioned in Story's poems.

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