The southeast corner of the graveyard was set aside for infant burials. It was not unusual for graveyards to have an area for infants, and this was a good position as the diagonal corner couldn’t house full sized coffins!

Why was it needed?

It provided a burial place for infants if families hadn’t already acquired a family plot of their own, or couldn’t afford one. It provided a burial place for infants if families hadn’t already acquired a family plot of their own, or couldn’t afford one.

Infant mortality was incredibly high throughout the 19th century — one in five infants didn’t reach the age of five. During the first 15 years of this graveyard opening, 42% of burials were for infants aged five or under. Infant mortality in the cities was 30% higher than in the countryside.

The infants’ corner provides the final resting place for 20+ infants who died between 1839 and 1845, the first six years after the graveyard was opened. They were buried in chronological order, generally, starting at the road end. None of these infants had a memorial stone.

  • 7 of the infants were less than a week old
  • 3 were illegitimate infants
  • 9 were children of working class families. most working in the cotton mills
  • 8 were children of tradesmen
  • 14 were boys, 6 were girls.

Here are the first infants buried in the infants’ corner:

Infant life stories
Back