| Description | BOX 3 [Note: Box 3 also contains records of the Birmingham General Cemetery Company. See BCC/1/BO/D/2/1 for a description of the records for this company]
- Fragile. Company minutes, though not itemised, from May 1845 until February1864. These minutes cover the period from the first ‘gentleman’s meeting’, through the formation of the Company and the acquisition of Warstone Lane Cemetery. These minutes cover the administration, maintenance, financing and advertising of the cemetery and also contain half-yearly committee reports and accounts.
- Company minutes, from February 1873 until December1883, though not itemised until August 1873, minutes 1 - 492. These minutes cover the administration, maintenance, financing and advertising of the cemetery and also contain half-yearly committee reports and accounts.
BOX 4
- Company minutes, from January 1884 until November1902, itemised 493 - 1244. These minutes cover the administration, maintenance, financing and advertising of the cemetery and also contain half-yearly committee reports and accounts.
- Fragile. Company Finance Committee minutes from November 1905 until August 1916, itemised 1 - 165. These minutes generally give little more than the current balance of the Company bank book.
- Fragile. Company minutes, from December 1902 until December1924, itemised 1245 - 1821. These minutes initially cover the administration of the cemetery but degenerate into little more than a check of the Company bank book.
BOX 5
- Two Company cashbooks for July 1925 - June 1940 and February 1940 – June 1946. Income and expenditure by month.
- Copy of Burial Act, 1880 [43 & 44 Vict]
- Index to clauses in the Company’s Special Act, and the Companies Clauses Act, 1845.
- List of deeds found in the safe in the board-room on Tuesday 1/3/1904, 1846 - 1903.
- Report as to the general management of the Company, made on the 31/5/1889.
- Folder containing deeds relating to property in Warstone Lane & Vyse Street belonging to the Company and other deed papers.
* Lease, 25/12/1846 Jn Marrian to Thos Pemberton.
* Counterpart lease, 25/12/1851, Thos. Pemberton to Wm. Green
* Counterpart lease, 29/9/1851, Thos. Pemberton to Fred. Brown
* Receipt from the Administrator of George Horton for lease and plan for property in Tenby St. received from the Company, 17/5/1944.
* List of papers from board-room safe transferred to their solicitors Freeland & Passey, June 1950.
- Folder containing:-
* Copy of The Times newspaper, November 14, 1854. Contains reports on the initial stages of the Crimean War.
* Printed copy of the act establishing the London Cemetery Company, 1836 [6 & 7 Wm IV].
* Printed copy of the act amending the burial of dead in London, 1852 [15 & 16 Vict].
* Printed copy of the act amending the burial of dead outside London, 1853 [16 & 17 Vict].
* Printed copy of the act to amend the Burial Act, 1857 [20 & 21 Vict].
* Report of the Directors, statement of accounts for year half-ending 31/12/1929.
* Two printed copies of the Bill for establishing the Birmingham Cemetery, 1846 [9 Vict].
- Envelope containing:-
* Memo of the Sale of Ground Rents, June 1894.
* Various receipts, 1885 - 1895
* Report as to the general management of the Company, 1887
* List of shareholders, with addresses, undated.
BOX 6 [Note: Box 3 also contains records of the Birmingham General Cemetery Company. See BCC/1/BN/D/2/1 for a description of the records for this company]
- Bundle of notices to transfer Company shares 1845 - 1856. Contain names of shareholder, transferred number of shares, name of recipient, value of shares and date.
- Copy of the London Gazette, Friday 12/4/1895.
- Receipt book, for graves purchased, September 1926 - January 1934. Gives grave number and name and address of purchaser.
- Bundle of printed acts:
* Registration, Incorporation and Regulation of Joint Stock Companies, 1844 [7 & 8 Vict]
* Act for Promoting Public Health, 1848 [11 & 12 Vict].
* Act for establishing a Cemetery at Birmingham, 1846 [9 Vict].
* Birmingham Closed Burial Grounds Act, 1878 [41 Vict]
- Bundle of business correspondence, in no particular order, 1926 - 1951, including:
* Air-Raid Precautions and war damage correspondence
* Shareholder correspondence
* Bread & soap rationing – Ministry of Food correspondence
* Building & repair estimates, contracts and receipts
* Income tax papers
* Insurance papers
* Tenancy agreements
* General burial correspondence
- Accounts and cemetery papers, 1856 - 1951, including:
* Tipping, 1913 – 1927
* Summaries of balance sheets, 1896 - 1908 & 1909 – 1921
* Cemetery fees (including Council cemeteries, undated
* Annual planting schedule, undated
* Ground plans of cemetery buildings, June 1914
* Two dimension plans of buildings, undated
* Stock lists, 1903 – 1911 & 1912 – 1925
* Property lists, gives tenant, date of occupation, amount paid, description.
* Schedule of rates & taxes, 1916 - 1934
* Schedule of Monumental Department income/expenditure, 1900 - 1934
* Schedule of Cemetery Department income/expenditure, 1900 - 1934
* Schedule of grave cutting, 1900 - 1934
* Schedule of reserve funds, 1900 - 1934
* Schedule of rents, 1913 - 1934
* Schedule of investments, 1917 - 1934
- Loose
* Two copies of the Company subscribers’ agreement and list of subscribers, 1845. Contains subscribers name, abode, profession, amount of subscription, signature, date and name of witness. |
| AdminHistory | Formed in 1845, the company looked to increasing the burial capacity due to the rising population and limited capacity of those burial grounds available. In 1848 the company opened the Warstone Lane Cemetery; a 7-acre site in Hockley the Company purchased the Warstone Lane site from Mr Thomas Gooch for £6000. The cemetery was taken over by Birmingham City Council, under compulsory purchase, in 1951 and is now closed for new burials and administered through the Handsworth Cemetery. |