Stranger in the same grave.

[Durham Lady]

OC, someone I know who lives in the area and has researched the village and surrounding area over many years, he has a wonderful website, was able to send me the following.


The M.I. records for St Barnabas Churchyard state the following for the grave itself:

*** *** grandmother Catherine **TTLEFAIR, died Dec.23rd 1955, aged 83 yrs. (burial book gives Richard NORTHEY, Jan 11th. 1938, age 83 and Catherine NORTHEY, Oct. 6th. 1943, age 78)./ Double width, broken,white back kerbstone only. The grave ref.No. D3.13.

Littlefair is a fairly common name in the County Durham area bbut I've no idea who this lady is. I've asked P if he has any other information but waiting to hear back from him.

[kiterunner]

There are two possibles for Catherine Littlefair on the 1911 census - one is 38, wife of Emanuel Littlefair, and the other age 37, married 9 years, mother of Rhoda who was born 1904, but this Catherine isn't with her husband on the census.

There is another Catherine Littlefair death registration Jan-Mar 1961 age 86 who is likely to be whichever of the above is not the one who died in 1955.

The maiden name of the Catherine who was married to Emanuel was Daglish. There are a couple of possible marriages of a Catherine to a Littlefair for the other one:
Jul-Sep 1901
Littlefair Henry Dobson
Maunder Annie Warren
Mellanby Alexander L
Werndly Catherine

Jul-Sep 1902
Crawford Catherine
Davison John
Littlefair Matthew James
Robson Bertha Mary.

There is a Henry Littlefair on the 1911 census who is married (10 years, 2 children) but his wife isn't with him. Matthew James Littlefair is with his wife Catherine who is 34 so a few years too young (unless her age on the census is wrong, of course.)
There is an Anne W Mellanby who dies in 1965 age 90, in Cambridge.

So I suspect that the "other" Catherine Littlefair in the deaths is the wife of Henry Dobson Littlefair, but not sure which of the two (wife of Henry or wife of Emanuel) is the one who died in 1955. Emmanuel Littlefair died in 1961, so you would think he would be buried with his wife (if he was buried). Henry D Littlefair died in 1929.

Rhoda Littlefair married a Robert Thompson in 1929 in Gateshead district. There should be another child of Henry Dobson Littlefair and his wife as they each say 2 children on the 1911 census but the other child wasn't with either of them. Of course they could have had some more after 1911. (Just thinking of that "grandmother" bit on the gravestone and trying to figure out who she was the grandmother of, though of course the grandchild could still be alive so won't post up any possible names unless I know they are not.) Rhoda seems to have had quite a few children.

[Durham Lady]

Thanks for looking Kite, not one of those names come up in any of our family lines. I've asked within the family but no one has an idea who she is!
Still not heard back from P who sent me the information.

I should have said the Church is at Burnmoor, or as it now seems to be called Bournmoor, in what was County Durham but now part of Tyne and Wear.

[Tilly Mint]

I wonder if it could have been a step family?...just a thought.

[Durham Lady]

Not come across any Jacky and we have the family sorted right up to the present generation.

[JBee]

Perhaps the vicar didn't want her buried on her own?

[Janet in Yorkshire]

I would try writing to the churchwarden to see if they can throw any light on the matter. They will know all the specific rules and regulations for burials in their churchyard. (Single depth graves only where I live, and strict measurements about distances between. My friend's mother had to be buried in a different place from her father - father had been buried in an infill and there wasn't enough room to dig safely in the remaining space.)

Jay

[Durham Lady]

Looks like the mystery is solved.
I've had someone make a few enquiries for me, I'm 250 miles away, he finds that it's the ashes of the lady in question and going by the details he's seen, the ashes are in D2.1.
My grandparents are in plot D3.13. So, looks like whoever transcribed the information we were given at first got it wrong!
Thanks to everyone for your input

[Kit]

So glad you have solved the mystery and that there were no holes in your tree.