Lost Cemeteries

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Sat 24 Nov, 2007 12:16 am

Hector wrote: The railway line does cut through stright through the cemetery opposite the Parish Church and as far as I am aware the bodies were not moved. The Victorians were not as squeamish as we are about these things. In fact it was not uncommon for graves to be used for different burials just so as to get them in. Hector, I got my G Grandads grave number off his death certificate and went to 'Unslet semi- Teary to look him up.He was in a high rise grave with about 12 others.In the 60's they put the "common people" in high rise flats.40 years before they put them in high rise graves.people?Ever noticed how the class system even works in graveyards?

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Thu 13 Dec, 2007 3:21 am

Don't know if this counts as lost but if you go out of Leeds on the A62 (towards guildersome) after you pass the Wheatsheaf and Pack horse pubs and cross the Huddersfield - Leeds railway line there is a lane leading off from the right, just before you crest the hill, which is gated.just inside this gate there is a sign saying this Cemetary is now closed to the public due to safty concerns.

Si · Post by Si » Thu 13 Dec, 2007 9:47 am

I think that's Leeds Jewish Cemetary. Could be wrong.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Thu 13 Dec, 2007 10:02 am

Yeah it is. It was closed due to one of the graves capsizing and falling in. The cemetery was leased from the farmer who owned the land in the 1880's, and had once been a mine (this area lies over the Beeston seam). it is very unsafe up their liable to subsidence as it was not properly filled in. However now the problems have been rectified by the coal board at no cost and the cemetery has re-opened.

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 12:28 am

No guys its not the Jewish cemetery - thats on the left as you leave Leeds, between the A62 and the M621 - this one is on the right and is on land that is up on the hill behind the electrical wholesaler Ring - unless of course that was Jewish too, but the barrier is still padlocked across the track leading up there. Take a look at it from this shot - looks like an awful lot of graves crammed in there to me.http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.77298 ... =0&src=ggl

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 9:58 am

It is the old Jewish Cemetery. The on on the other side of the road, further down opposite Ring is in fact the orginal Jewish cemetery in leeds,(1842). Then as other synogogues were formed they bought bits of land. One suche peice of Land is the one up the Hill on the right going out of Leeds. This is actually three cemeteries in one, for different synogogues, but due to it being difficult to access it was closed up inthe 1980's and the new cemetery is in fact in New Farnley, not ironically the one over the road.The barrier is there as a few years ago there were some problems with gypsies camping up there, and also dessecrations of the headstones, painting of swastikas on them etc. Murray Freedman has written an excellent book on the synogogues and Jewish burial grounds of Leeds called The History Of Synogogues in Leeds or something. - It's in the library/

FarnleyBloke · Post by **FarnleyBloke** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 10:00 am

Hi Big NBeing a Farnley boy this has quite intrigued me as i've never seen this before!!Anyway, i thought i'd do some digging (no pun intended) and have come up with the following.The jewish cemetry on the left as you go up Gelderd road doesn't appear on any maps up to 1938 so i would assume that it's newer than that. The cemetry you have spotted first appears on the 1909 map marked as "Jews Burial Ground". It wasn't on the 1894 map so was built sometime inbetween. I can only assume that the older one got full and so they built the new one on the left.Strangely though, there is a Congregational Chapel marked where the electrical wholesalers is now. I wonder where they buried their dead??

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 10:23 am

There are two cemeteries on the left, one opposite Ring Lighting, and another further to Leeds. The one opposite Ring is the old one, and should be marked on the map.

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 10:25 am

LS1 wrote: There are two cemeteries on the left, one opposite Ring Lighting, and another further to Leeds. The one opposite Ring is the old one, and should be marked on the map. Just thinking on, it's strange why the cemy. is not on the 1894 map as there are graves in their as early as 1888.Interestingly Gwynneth Paltrows Great Uncle (who was a Rabbi Palterovitch) is buried up their!!!!

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Fri 14 Dec, 2007 7:39 pm

LS1 wrote: Interestingly Gwynneth Paltrows Great Uncle (who was a Rabbi Palterovitch) is buried up their!!!! LS1 - I have only been here a short time (about a week) but your wealth of knowledge just keeps surprising me more and more, would love to share a pint or two with you one day mate LOL.I assume the one you mention at New Farnley is the one close to the Woodcock pub, near the house that is being built (well it's been built for the last twenty five years at least - would love to see that finished one day).just thinking about these four Jewish cemeteries all within such close proximity ( one of which served 3 seperate synagogue's ) makes you realise what a massive Jewish community Leeds had towards the end of the 19th centuary into the 20th.