Cultivate new connections in the South East of England with new parish records

This week sees the release of nearly 60,000 records across Kent and Middlesex, and includes an incredible hand-drawn map of Hawkinge Cemetery. Read on for a full rundown of what's new.

Greater London Burial Index

We've added 52,883 new records to this collection, all from Middlesex and spanning 1540-1949. They cover 22 churches in the area, and you can find an updated parish list here.

Some of these new additions will have images, like the one above - if this is the case, make sure to check the original for extra details that may have been recorded.

Otherwise, these records will give the standard burial information: place and date of death and burial, birthplace, and full name. Some may also include an occupation, the father's last name, and the name of the minister.

You may find a link in the extra information field which could give you more detail on the church itself.

Kent, Folkestone District Monumental Inscriptions

We've added 6,000 new records to this collection, from six churches in the area. Most records will offer the standard information: full name, death date, denomination, and the inscription where available.

That's not the showstopper of the week, though. If you have ancestors who you know were buried in Hawkinge Cemetery, you're in luck.

The records from this cemetery have come from a hand-drawn map created by a local couple, Marion and Jim Overton, between 2006 and 2007. In it, they have not only mapped out each of the gravestones, but the location of seats and flower pots, where there are steeper banks, and even the uphills and downhills of the graveyard.

At the top of the page, Marion Overton writes:

She ends the note by saying:

It is incredible work from Marion and Jim, and we're so grateful to have been able to scan such a wonderful and rare document.

Each grave will include as much information as possible - the style of the grave, any flower pots or other decorative pieces that are there, plot numbers, and the inscription itself including death dates or next of kin. You'll also find multiple graves for RAF pilots, as there was a base nearby.

Even if you don't have relatives in the cemetery, it's fully worth taking a look at the image and seeing how much detail you can get lost in.

A huge thank you goes out to Marion and Jim Overton for their dedication and hard work.

From South to North...

Once you've had your fill of the new records this week (though we don't think we'll ever get enough of that map) then head up the country to Salford and Liverpool to explore our two new newspaper titles, the Liverpool Weekly Mercury and the Salford City Reporter.

We've also updated 28 of our existing titles this week, so here's a full rundown of everything that's new.

New titles:

• Liverpool Weekly Mercury, 1889, 1892
• Salford City Reporter, 1889

Updated titles:

• Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser, 1994
• Axholme Herald, 1996, 1999
• Bristol Evening Post, 1999
• Chatham Standard, 1960
• Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1988
• Croydon Advertiser and East Surrey Reporter, 1982
• Eastern Mercury, 1889
• Finsbury Weekly News and Chronicle, 1909
• Gwent Gazette, 1987
• Holderness Advertiser, 1999
• Hounslow & Chiswick Informer, 1979, 1982
• Leicester Journal, 1762-1778, 1780-1782, 1786-1804, 1809, 1819-1827, 1837, 1842, 1850
• Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh Edition), 1966-1967, 1969-1970, 1972-1977
• Nantwich Chronicle, 1982
• Ormskirk Advertiser, 1985
• Richmond Informer, 1992
• Ruislip & Northwood Gazette, 1995
• Salford Advertiser, 1999
• Sevenoaks Focus, 1988
• South Wales Echo, 1991
• Surrey Mirror, 1998
• Walton & Weybridge Leader, 1994
• West Hull Advertiser, 1998
• Western Daily Press, 1963-1964, 1966-1969, 1974-1975, 1984
• Westminster & Pimlico News, 1988
• Widnes Weekly News and District Reporter, 1899
• Winsford Chronicle, 1968-1970, 1991
• Wishaw Press, 1994

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