The people who are buried in Calderstones Hospital Cemetery

Several members have already written fascinating accounts about their relative how and sometimes why they had been admitted to Calderstones Hospital, where they had died and were subsequently buried in the Hospital Cemetery. These very personal stories give the reader a good understanding of the history of each individual, but they leave a clearer image of the individual who was buried in the Cemetery rather than just the basic facts of name and date of death. These accounts are now being brought together under this section and we hope to receive several more.

Following the example of these relatives, other members of the Friends recently began looking at the lives of a few other people who are buried in the Cemetery and hope to produce similar accounts of a little of the life histories of these people.

With the support of archivists at the Lancashire Archives in Preston, it has been possible to access a limited number of records from Calderstones, which are publicly available under the "100-year rule," and piece together a few facts about the person and their background.

We have only been able to look at five of the relatively few records which Calderstones sent to the Archives. None of these records provide a full picture of the life of the individual, instead for whatever reasons, they appear to be a random and incomplete collection of edited notes where it seems that there is often much more information which is missing from the file, than that which is available.

The records cover 75 years of the history of Calderstones, during the period 1921- 1996, and reflect the enormous changes in society's attitudes and the rights of people with disabilities during that period. The notes are contemporaneous and need to be seen today, in the context of the time they were written, and the attitudes terminology and position of their authors, who would not be aware how much society might change and that documents might one day, be in the public domain. 

To look at these records, use the page button to take you to "The people who are buried in the Cemetery" and then follow the sub- links below, to the individuals

Calderstones Hospital Cemetery

Brockhall Hospital Cemetery