Click here to search the burial records
The churchyard is divided into three main parts. The earliest surrounds the site of the old church and tower. Burials here date from around 1670 through, in the main, to 1867. It was technically closed around 1867 being declared “full” and further burials were restricted to family plots.
The middle part of the churchyard was consecrated in 1867 and burials here are from this period through to the late 1900s though a few more recent burials took place in family graves.
The final part is the current burial ground and records are currently retained in the nearby parish church of St Matthew's and these are now included.
There are no plot references for the closed churchyard whilst those post-1867 are laid out in a grid form with plot numbers. A plan for this middle ground is available here.
Although we know who is buried in the closed part, the only ones that can be located are those with legible memorials. These are now plotted on a separate plan with a different matrix bearing an asterisk in the grave reference.
Around 1929, Arthur Blackburn noted down many of the inscriptions that he could read and a copy of these are kept in the church. Scanned versions are available on this website and can be searched. The two books are called Blackburn Registers of Memorial Inscriptions (BRMI). Not all those that Blackburn recorded are still visible and a list of these is available on request. However, over time, some more may be found and this record amended – in some cases the memorials are probably just covered by turf. Blackburn also missed some and the ones that we have found have been added to the database. The BRMI PDF file is available on request but individual entries will be automatically returned through the search facility. If there is insufficient clarity in the scanned version, the parish copy is available on request or may it be viewed at Bradford Library.
Photographs of all of the memorial stones have been taken and some are accessible on the international Gravestone Photos website. [unfortunately there have been major technical problems with this site. Disappointingly only about a quarter of our images are on the site. If the search on our website indicates that photos are available and you are unable to access them on line, please contact us directly.]
Currently around 1000 are available. If a photograph is on this site, the search facility will indicate that. Photographing & recording is taking time as many memorial stones need to be uncovered, cleared and processed. If your search doesn't indicate a photograph, please contact us directly and we will provide one.
Acknowledgements. The Friends are grateful for the work done by Carol Cowling (transcribing part of the burial register and many photographs), Calderdale Family History Society (transcribing burial records) and Ian Philp (BRMI scanning, preparation of the plans and some photographs.)
[The burial records for the parish from 1710 to 1975 are available from the Calderdale Family History Society which has a base in Brighouse Public Library.]
If you are looking for local families who might have connections in Wyke, Low Moor or Wibsey, you might try the website for South Bradford Local History Alliance.
If you are unsuccessful when you first conduct a search, do try again. If you are looking for a William, it might be recorded as W, Willie, W'm, so try just W for the first name. Similarly surnames have different spellings, Rastrick might have been Raistrick so do try variations. Only use the date if you are absolutely sure. Someone may have died in December of one year but buried the following year. Best leave the date box empty. If you are unsuccessful, we may be able to help.
If you have been successful in tracing a family connection, please let us know and register as a Friend of St Matthew's Churchyard – there is no fee and no commitment – and you will receive occasional updates.
