Family History

Churchyard History

Ecclesall Parish Church occupies a commanding position in a suburb to the south west of Sheffield.

Taking one of the main roads out of the city you first reach the old tollbar of Hunters Bar (with the gate still being located on a traffic island). Approximately 1 mile further on (and uphill away from the city) you pass through the area of Banner Cross soon to reach the suburb of Ecclesall. With a little imagination one can picture the area in the 19th & 20th centuries firstly encountering Banner Cross Hall followed shortly, at the summit of Carter Knowle, by the old Inn (now the Prince of Wales pub) together with some shops opposite the lychgate and path leading to All Saints Church.

The original graveyard is sited either side of this path on the incline up to the church and contains graves dating back to the 1700's. Many of the stones from this area (south and south east) have been re-laid providing a relatively unobstructed view of the church - see picture above.

An area of two acres was originally granted to the people of Ecclesall for a burial ground in 1788. The ground was increased in 1860, 1894 and 1928, and the total area now is over eight acres. The first person buried in the church yard was a five year old boy in 1789.

Utilisation of the graveyard has continued since - right up to the present day. From the lychgate the graves were occupied firstly to the south, round to the east and then to the north of the church - taking us through to the Victorian era. From here the graveyard to the east of the church takes us through Edwardian times then moves us into the post war area of the graveyard. All told there are several thousand graves containing some 14000 souls for whom All Saints graveyard is their last earthly resting place. In addition there is a ‘scattering' area for those cremated but wish their ashes to be placed in the church graveyard.

There are many different styles of grave from the very simple to the very ornate family tombs occupied by not only the great industrialists but also those benefactors who have left many a great heritage to the people of Sheffield. There are too some 30+ ‘war graves' dotted around the graveyard.

Over the years the type of stone used has changed. Very early headstones were invariably quarried from the millstone grit of Brincliffe Edge (about ½ mile from the church) but with the coming of the railways stones from further afield started to appear including some quite ornate marble.

With so many headstones you can also imagine the variety of inscription to be found. Some are humorous, some sad, some joyful, some poignant and one anonymous. Some reflect deeds of heroism, some reflect talent, some record those whose life was snuffed out at an early age, some at a great age and one can reflect on the sadness of the loss encountered over the past few centuries because all reflect a life once lived.

As an aside, the anonymous stone reflects the heroic deed of ‘a nanny' who died while trying to save the life of a drowning child who is named on the same stone.

The church regularly receives enquiries from far-flung descendants of those whose mortal remains lie in Ecclesall and for whom, for hundreds of years, the church stood to serve. Today the church still continues to serve - and to serve enthusiastically - the people of Ecclesall.

Database Search

We can perform a search on our database (31,000 entries) for free to let you know if a particular person is buried within Ecclesall Parish Church Graveyard. Other historical church records are now being compiled electronically to further assist in searches.

Any further details about that person or any other person can be obtained by paying a standard search fee of £18 per hour. This will give you access to all the information we have which, typically, includes date of burial, age and the numbered location of the grave. 

Contact Building Manager 0114 268 5017 Send E-mail