Preston look up please

[Katarzyna]

I have put this request up on two other websites but help is needed quite quickly due to the fact that the Lancashire Archives Preston will close completely to the public between June and October for renovations.


I have a friend visiting from N Zealand later this year. He was adopted and his father was a patient at Whittingham Asylum, Preston - he died 11-8-1966 and is possibly buried there. He would like to visit his grave if it still survives.

I received this email from the Lancs Archives:

I can confirm that here in the Lancashire Archives we hold archives from the former Whittingham Hospital including the records listed below, which may include information relating to William Henry Pennington, who was admitted to the hospital twice, as follows:
Admitted: 2 September 1946
Patient no: 31387
Regraded to Voluntary Status: 28 April 1947
Discharged: 22 August 1948


Admitted: 28 February 1949
Patient no: 33381 (later renumbered 1651/60/I)
Died: 11 August 1966


The records which may include information about the period spent by William Henry Pennington in the hospital are as follows:

There follows quite a few records but the burial Register is the one we are looking for more urgently:

Reference HRW Accession 8279, Box 51
Register of Burials, 1920-1991 Open to public view.

Thank you for any help given.

[Olde Crone]

Kat

forgive me if I've missed the point, but surely the first thing to do is to see if the Whittingham burial ground still exists?

OC

[MargaretMarch]

Here's a link to a site all about refurbishing the cemetery
http://www.whittinghamhospital.co.uk/News.html

[Olde Crone]

If I read that correctly then, burial information is available but not necessarily a physical grave to visit.

OC

[Katarzyna]

I know the cemetery exists OC. I need to know from the register if he was buried at the hospital. Just because he died there doesn't mean he was buried there. My x3 great gran was buried 30 miles away from the asylum she died at in Norfolk.
My friend wants to know so that even if the grave is no longer discernible at least he can walk in the grounds.
Have pm'd you back Margaret.

[Olde Crone]

Yes, sorry, I really meant not much point making a pilgrimage if he isn't buried there.

I once found some records for burials at the old Calderstones Hospital. They made very sad reading. They had been transcribed by a man who discovered quite late in life that he had had a brother who had not died at birth as the family tale went, but who had spent all his life in the hospital because he had Downs.

OC

[garstonite]

Hiya...everyone knows my limitation on research...if this is a daft idea, tell me off
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Districts-of-Preston/142747609075041
this is a thread on Facebook where Preston people have conversations about places in Preston...do you think someone on there may be able to help. or even visit he gounds of Whittingham for you ??....allan
added...I have just been on there and there is a familytree section on there as well......a couple of phone numbers on there of councillors /etc play groups in Whittingham

[Katarzyna]

Not a daft idea at all Allan, thank you for suggesting it. I do have peeps helping me at the moment but if it comes to nothing I will at least have another pathway open to explore. As you know in this game.... when clutching at straws etc LOL


If he does happen to be buried there perhaps someone on that site will be able to help me locate the grave or point me in the right direction on how to find out.

[Katarzyna]

UPDATE

Margaret has very kindly offered to deal with this query.

[Katarzyna]

Well that was quick work!

I have had an email this morning:

William Henry Pennington was buried in the churchyard of Whittingham Hospital on 16 Aug 1966, I believe the plot no. to be 186 in the C of E section of the new graveyard, it looks as though the grave numbers were added to the record at a later date.

Thank you Simon.
. . . .and thanks to the ladies who offered to go.