Shropshire Star

Find out more about Georgian memorials at Shropshire churchyard at event

People can find out more about the research into eleven listed Georgian memorials at Bishop's Castle's churchyard with an upcoming drop-in session.

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St John The Baptist church in Bishop's Castle

The meet will take place at the town's Heritage Resource Centre.

This would also be ideal for anyone wanting to pick up some research tips and find out how this project is discovering the stories of these special stones, as well as the history of Bishop’s Castle.

Open to all, free to attend, just drop in between 10.30am and 4pm.

Bishop's Castle Heritage Resource Centre researchers will share interesting information discovered after initial research on the Georgian gravestones in the local churchyard and the people they commemorate.

On show will be display panels, a number of reference source files, information screens, and visitors will also have the chance to speak to researchers, who will be on hand throughout the day.

Celebration

This event is part of the Beautiful Burial Ground Project, an initiative of the conservation charity Caring for God’s Acre (CfGA), funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Beautiful Burial Ground project inspires and supports people to find out more about the heritage, social history and biodiversity of their local burial grounds.

The Open Day is a contribution from CfGA to Bishop’s Castle’s own National Lottery funded ‘Georgians in Stone Project’, which will conserve the Grade II listed Georgian tombs in St John the Baptist churchyard and interpret them to local people and visitors through a variety of activities including a special celebration event, a Georgian one-day seminar and a Georgian songs project.

Bishop’s Castle, a vibrant and lively town during the Georgian Period (1714-1831) had the reputation as a ‘Rotten Borough’.

It also housed Napoleonic prisoners of war, one of whom married a local girl, their son eventually went to New Zealand and married a Maori Princess.

This and other fascinating stories including that of the African’s Grave are being further researched and celebrated through the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported ‘Georgians in Stone’ Project.