The Quaker Cemetery
Did you know there was a Quaker cemetery at Waterside?
Waterside and the surrounding areas where I spent my childhood in the 1950s were a wonderful playground. Little was I to know that discoveries made then would be invaluable in later years as my interest in local history increased. An excellent example is the Quaker family cemetery at Wester Gartshore. My friends and I were aware of its existence but knew nothing of its history. To us children, it was only a clump of trees with crumbling walls and gravestones. To the west, just across the meadows, was our beloved Wallace’s Bing, which was always at the centre of our adventures. It was not until many years later that I learned that this place was a Quaker family cemetery. In the late 17th century, most of the farms in the area had been owned by the Gray family, and the cemetery was their final resting place.
Whilst passing by one day in 2012 I noticed that some trees had been felled and the overgrown bushes cut back. This created a brief opportunity for me to explore and capture a selection of photographs of the graveyard. Interestingly, whilst the front of the stones had the names of the deceased engraved on them, the rear sides had the names of the farms.
Waterside and the surrounding areas where I spent my childhood in the 1950s were a wonderful playground. Little was I to know that discoveries made then would be invaluable in later years as my interest in local history increased. An excellent example is the Quaker family cemetery at Wester Gartshore. My friends and I were aware of its existence but knew nothing of its history. To us children, it was only a clump of trees with crumbling walls and gravestones. To the west, just across the meadows, was our beloved Wallace’s Bing, which was always at the centre of our adventures. It was not until many years later that I learned that this place was a Quaker family cemetery. In the late 17th century, most of the farms in the area had been owned by the Gray family, and the cemetery was their final resting place.
Whilst passing by one day in 2012 I noticed that some trees had been felled and the overgrown bushes cut back. This created a brief opportunity for me to explore and capture a selection of photographs of the graveyard. Interestingly, whilst the front of the stones had the names of the deceased engraved on them, the rear sides had the names of the farms.
Author & Photograph Edward Z Smith