Berkshire Monumental Inscriptions Collection, Vol. 1 (CD)

Description

Reissue on CD of transcriptions of the extant gravestone and similar inscriptions and maps of the burial grounds of the churchyards of Aldworth, Ashampstead, Lower Basildon, Midgham Park, Reading St Laurence, Remenham, Shippon, and Woolhampton

Berkshire Family History Society (2012) CD.

Lists names of almost 2,800 people (and around 1,000 family names), and contains transcripts of inscription on monuments and memorials at eight sites:

• St Mary’s, Aldworth
• St Clement’s, Ashampstead
• St Bartholomew’s, Lower Basildon
• Midgham Park Burial Ground
• St Laurence’s, Reading
• St Nicholas’, Remenham
• St Mary Magdalene’s, Shippon
• St Peter’s, Woolhampton.

Although much of this data has been previously published on fiche, it is now reissued, with some updated information, on a CD for use with Adobe Reader or similar software.

Despite variations in format between the sites (due to the original compilation styles of the data) all contain the same basic information: churchyard, church and burial ground plans, a brief history of the site, indexes of names and memorial locations, and of course transcripts of the monumental inscriptions. In addition, Midgham Park Burial Ground and St Mary Magdalene’s, Shippon have several colour photographs of monuments. also the sections on St Laurence, Reading and St Bartholomew, Lower Basildon include transcripts of their burial registers, and notes on the occupations descripted on the memorials, which provide useful additional information to family researchers (especially at St Laurence’s, where many memorials have since been removed). The St Bartholomew, Lower Basildon, record includes a list of the place names mentioned on memorials.

Among the notables appearing in these records are the agriculturalist, Jethro Tull (Lower Basildon) and the poet, Laurence Binyon (Aldworth), whose phrases from For the fallen “The shall not grow old… We will remember them” are apposite to this reissue and update of some of the Society’s monumental inscriptions records.

Tony Roberts