Researching family history?

Our older records have been deposited for safe keeping with the West Yorkshire Archive Service, Bradford. Please contact them for information from records held by them. They work in partnership with Ancestry.co.uk

 

WYAS Bradford is based in Bradford Local Studies Library - Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way,

BRADFORD BD1 1NN  0113 393 9785  email bradford@wyjs.org.uk
 

Parish Records held by WYAS:

Marriage Registers     1876 - 1965; 1965 - 1982; 1982 - 2011; 2011 - 2017
Baptism Registers      1871 - 1985; 1985 - 2006
Burial Register            1871 - 1993

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St John's Graveyard

St John's has nearly 2,000 people buried in the churchyard in around 490 graves, 209 having headstones. The first burial was in July 1871, the last in 1993. The PCC are currently awaiting approval to officially close the graveyard on the basis of there being no useful space remaining for new graves.

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Many of the early burials were patients of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, Menston and their address is simply listed as 'Asylum'. The hospital eventually became 'High Royds Psychiatric Hospital' in 1963 and closed in 2003. There are 175 High Royds patients buried in St John's graveyard, 27 in unmarked graves and only 5 with headstones. The majority of the patients (2,861) are buried in the Memorial Chapel on Buckle Lane www.highroydshospital.com/memorial-garden-menston

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​Searching for a Family Grave?

Digital records of the Burial Register from 1871-1996, a graveyard plan and list of

Headstone Inscriptions and positions are available. These are searchable and

should enable anyone wishing to find a family grave fairly easily.

Click on the image to take you to Graveyard Searches.

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