St Lawrence Asylum Burial Grounds Traditional Cache
Long Man: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache, I'm archiving it.
Andy
Long Man
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St Lawrence Asylum Burial Grounds
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St Lawrence Asylum Burial Grounds
Between 1870 and 1915 the burial ground for St Lawrence asylum was at corner of Chaldon Road and Green lane. When it became full, this 1.3 acre site was bought from James Banks Taylor, the then owner of the Daisy Farm (later Chaldon Mead) and a new chapel was built in 1915. The foundations can be seen at the top of the burial ground although the building was demolished in 1971. The Chapel could be used to shelter up to eight coffins.
Burial services would take place in St Lawrence's hospital chapel and then a horse-drawn hearse with hooped tarpaulin cover was taken by the hospital porters through the farm gate at the back of the farm and across the field to this burial ground. In later years the head gardener's truck was used. It had an iron frame with a hood over the top and rollers for the coffins. John Easton, former head gardener, remember the burials were 'always done with dignity, never rushed'.
Between 1916 and 1965 thousands of patients from the hospital were buried here. A burial register for 1916-1948 records 3,100 people buried in 276 plots with 10-15 bodies in each grave. Sixteen headstones including two angels marking the graves of children have been preserved towards the edges of the site and it has been possible to make contact with a small number of relatives of those buried here.
Cache is attached to the tree by a loop so it can be removed but please place it back how you found it tucked away. When you find it you will have to solve a puzzle to get into the logbook, if you can't do it then go away and try again another time. You can only claim this as found if you manage to get into the logbook. Please don't use force. Bring your own pen.
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