BURCHETT Family History
Page 7
WHY WAS ALEXANDER WALTER SHIELL BURIED IN THE SAME GRAVE AS LUCY ANN BURCHETT?
Lucy Ann died 28 December 1905 at Square House in Heathfield. In the 1901 Census "Square House" is shown as unoccupied.
The following show the details of the death certificate:
Death Certificate of Lucy Ann Burchett:
Registration District: Hailsham. Sub-district: Hurstmonceux, Sussex. No 241.
When & where died: 28/12/1905 at Square House, Heathfield.
Name
& Surname: Lucy Anne Kemp. Sex: Female. Age 58 years
Occupation: Wife of Jabez Kemp, a General Labourer
Cause of death: Morbus Cordis (Means no more than heart disease. Probably used by doctors when they didn't know the exact cause of death but were sure it was natural causes (www.mckechnies.net/family/_references/medical.htm) and Cirrhosis of liver 2 years.
Informant: Jabez Kemp who signed with his mark, widower of the deceased, present at the death, Square House, Heathfield.
Registered: 29/12/1905.
As stated on page 5, it is at this point that a further mystery creeps in to the Burchett family history. An assumption could be made that, when Jabez died, he would be buried in the same grave as Lucy Ann. However, this does not prove to be the case.
The records from All Saints Church in Heathfield show the following:
Church Records - Parish Church of All Saints, Heathfield
The Church record book, which shows the graves in the churchyard, shows that Lucy Ann is buried in Plot B Row 4 No 18.
The book states “DOUBLE GRAVE. KEMP ANN LUCY DIED JAN 1 1906 AT SQUAR HOUSE, HEATHFIELD AGED 58 YEARS, SHIELL WALTER ALEXANDER DIED NOV 1 1931 AT ST CATHERINE NURSING HOME HEATHFIELD AGED 63 YEARS".
So rather than Jabez being buried with Lucy, there is a complete stranger in the grave instead, a man by the name of Alexander Walter Shiell.
This was surprisinf and so I decided to investigate this matter further. As a starting point I sent for the death certificate of Alexander Shiell. This is what it showed:
Death Certificate:
Registration District Hailsham, Sub-district Hailsham, East Sussex
No 351. 1/11/1931 at St Catherine’s Nursing Home, Heathfield, Alexander Walter Shiell, male, age 63 (b abt 1868). Occupation – formerly a Grocer’s Traveller.
Cause of Death: Cerebral Thrombosis and Paralysis Agitaus. No PM.
Informant: Catherine E A Thorpe, Occupier, present at death. St Catherine’s Nursing Home, Heathfield.
Registered 3/11/1931
I found out that Shiell is a Scottish name and so then searched the census returns for both England and Scotland, as well as the IGI records. The following shows what I found (with some help from other internet contacts):
1861
Census (7/4/1881):
Registration District: Galashiels. Town: Galashiels. County: Selkirkshire
Address: 8 Roxburgh Street.
David Shiel, Head, Age 37 (b abt 1824). Occupation: Agent for “Coa Clime & Artiler”[?] Born: Manor, Peeblesshire
Jessie Shiel, Age 27 (b abt 1834). Born: Linton, East Lothian.
Agnes Shiel, Age 8 months (b 1860). Born: Galashiels, Selkirkshire
Birth
of Alexander Walter:
IGI Individual Record:
Batch No: C117751 Dates: 1855-1875 Source Call no: 6035516 Type: Film
Agnes Shiell b. 22/7/1860, Selkirk, Scotland
Alexander Walter Shiell b. 31/1/1869 at Galashiels, Selkirk, Scotland
Parents:
Father, David Shiell. Mother, Jessie Gowans
1871
Census (2/4/1871)
Registration District: Ladhope. Civil parish: Melrose, Roxburghshire
Address: Wester Langlee, Melrose, Roxburghshire
David Shiell (recorded as Thiell) Age 46, (b abt 1825. Head. Occupation: Coal Merchant. Born Manst, Peeblesshire
Jessie Shiell. Wife. Age 36 (b abt 1835) Born Penterkirk, Haddingtonshire
Agnes Shiell. Daughter. Age 10 (b abt 1861). Scholar. Born: Galasgow, Selkirkshire
Jessie Shiell. Daughter. Age 6 (b abt 1865) Born: Galasgow, Selkirkshire
Isabella Shiell. Daughter. Age 4 (b abt 1867) Born: Galasgow, Selkirkshire
Alex W Shiell. Son. Age 2 (b abt 1869) Born: Galasgow, Selkirkshire
Catherine M Shiell. Age 2 months (b abt 1871). Born: Melrose, Roxburghshire
1881
Census (3/4/1881) RG 11/1990:
Registration district – Docking, Sub-district Snettisham, Norfolk
Civil Parish – Ringstead
No on schedule 53.
Jessie Shiell, Head. Marital status unclear. Age 46 (b abt 1835). Occupation School Mistress. Born Scotland
Agness Shiell, Daughter, Unmarried, Age 20 (b abt 1861). Occupation – Teacher. Born Scotland
Walter Shiell, Son, Age 12 (b abt 1869), Scholar. Born Scotland
Maude Shiell, Daughter, Age 10 (b abt 1871), Scholar. Born Scotland
1891
Census (5/4/1891) RG12/1464:
This record is for mother, Jessie
Registration District: Samford. Sub-district: Capel St Mary. Civil Parish: Copdock, Suffolk
No of schedule 42
Address: The School House, Copdock, Suffolk
Jessie Shiell. Head. Widow. Age 56 (b abt 1835). Occupation: Schoolmistress. Employed. Born: Scotland
Maud K Shiell. Daughter. Single. Age 20 (b abt 1871). Occupation: Teacher. Employed. Born: Scotland
So I had established that Alexander Walter Shiell was not living at home at the time of the 1891 census. Further searching found:
1891
Census (3/4/1881) RG 12/527:
Registration district –Woolwich, Sub-district Charlton
Civil Parish Charlton
No. of schedule 143, 424 Woolwich Road, Grocer’s Shop
Alexander Walter Shiell, Partner, Single, Age 22 (b abt 1869). Occupation Grocer, Employer. Born Scotland
Alfd Wm Bayles, Partner, Single, Age 23, Grocer, Employer. Born Lambeth, London
This was the only record I could find for an Alexander Walter Shiell and, on the balance of probability, I believe that this is the same person as found in previous censuses.
The 1901 census showed:
1901
Census (31/3/1901) RG13/551:
Registration
district Lewisham, Sub-district Lewisham. Civil Parish Lewisham, London
No
of schedule 112, 16 Laleham Road. 2 rooms in house inhabited by:
Jessie
Shiell, Head, Widow, Age 67 (b abt 1834). Occupation – School Mistress
(retired). Born Scotland
Walter
Shiell, Son, Single, Age 32 (b abt 1869).
Occupation – Grocer
(retired). Born Scotland
This record shows mother and son now living together, and although he is shown as "Walter" there are sufficient similarities to assume the connection to previous records.
I then referred back to the death certificate of Walter Alexander Shiell who is buried in the same grave as Lucy Ann Burchett.
The similarities with other records show to me, on the balance of probability, that this is the same person. The similarities are:
The name - this is consistent through the records, and not a common name or combination of forenames
Census returns show him as born in 1869
Death Certificate shows him as born about 1868
Census returns show him as a Grocer
Death Certificate shows him as a Retired Grocer's Traveller
SO, IF THIS IS THE CORRECT ALEXANDER WALTER SHIELL:
HOW LONG HAD HE BEEN IN THE HEATHFIELD AREA, AND WHY?
WHAT LINKS DID HE HAVE TO LUCY ANN BURCHETT OR PERHAPS OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BURCHETT FAMILY?
WHY WAS HE BURIED IN THE SAME GRAVE AS LUCY ANN?
IF YOU HAVE ANY ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW I CAN SOLVE THIS MYSTERY, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT:
FamilyHistoryReplies@btinternet.com