Wednesfield Burial Ground borders Graiseley Lane in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton. As shown in this video, the original approach from the junction with Wolverhampton Road—once known as Cemetery Road—is now barely more than a path along a grassy embankment. At the top of this path would have stood the cemetery gates, marking the entrance to the original two acre section, which we refer to as the Old Ground.
For a wider view of the site, see this 360° footage of the area taken January 2025.
The Old Ground (1855)
By the mid-19th century, the population of Wednesfield had risen sharply and St Thomas’ Churchyard ran out of available space for burials.
Plans were put in place for a detached burial ground situated in a desirable spot at the entrance to Wednesfield. The original site of just over two acres, now the oldest part of the burial ground, was conveyed to the Church Commissioners at Lichfield by James Bartholomew Pidgeon of New Cross in 1855.
The burial ground was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese on 2 October, 1855. The first burial had taken place earlier that year, on 6 June, 1855, and was that of Thomas Tomkys, a Master Trapmaker from Wednesfield High Street.
Annexes (1927, 1938 & 1949)
In the early part of the 20th century, these two acres were beginning to fill up. Burials were squeezed in along grass verges and close to the perimeter walls and hedges. The mortuary chapel fell out of use and the main driveway was narrowed to accommodate newer rows of graves in front of the grander monuments that once took pride of place.
In December 1918, Sarah Jane Garlick and Mary Jemima Lello, great-nieces of James Bartholomew Pidgeon, conveyed an additional portion of land to the Lichfield Diocesan Trust. The Trust in turn allotted it to Wednesfield’s burial ground in April 1927, giving the cemetery its first extension.
Two further extensions were made to the site in 1938 and 1949, both being land conveyed by the Reverend Stanley Arthur Howard and several other people.
In 1963, 1.4 acres of the latter extension was sold to Birmingham Regional Hospital Board to help pay towards the maintenance of the grounds.
Wednesfield Burial Ground Project 