Not just a load of old rubble. The Story of Samuel Tolson and how I found his gravestone. On a beach....

I have researched a LOT of gravestones from very many churchyards in England and Scotland. But the most unexpected, extraordinary discovery of a headstone, and the history behind it,was the one I found on a beach! I had heard about the stretch of beach from Crosby to Hightown on the Sefton coast. It has literally millions of bricks and rubble that was dumped (deliberately!) after the Bootle blitz in WW2.

 

I had just moved to the area and was keen to have a walk along the beach. What a day I had. The weather was exceptionally kind to me on that day!

 

 

Brick beach at the start of my walk, Hightown.

 

I could not believe my eyes! I knew there were a lot of bricks - but I had not understood the enormous amount of rubble! And most of it very accessible if you are prepared to clamber over it! I found dozens of different makes of bricks - this would be a marvellous day out for brick lovers! ("Brickophiles" I am told!)

 

 

 

Not only bricks, but reminders of everyday life for the working class people of Bootle. I found tiles, floor covering, glass, parts of buildings,and more. But wait a minute, what is that item, top left.....

 

I was thrilled with all my "finds" (I will be taking them back in due course. I feel they are part of a "living" memorial and museum). But then I saw something that took me aback - a headstone! With writing on it! What luck! Scrambling down I took a photo of it in situ.  I couldn't wait to get home to research it- I don't think you could have found a happier person at the beach that day! This is what I discovered using some of the information on the headstone...

 

Samuel Tolson was born in 1756 in Cumberland. He married a widow, Jane Al(e)try on 11th February 1813 and died in 1842. Samuel had 10 chldren by his first wife Ann (nee Thompson). He was a tea dealer lving in Phygiate Street, Liverpool (per the 1832 Trade Directory of Liverpool). His second wife Jane died in 1850. Dinah, whose name is also inscribed on the stone was his daughter. She died in 1848 of consumption.

I have researched 100s of family stories and this was the most astonishing and rewarding. A family history from a stone not in a church, but on the beach!

 After some local research I discovered that Samuel had been buried in 

St John's church Bootle

 

It was consecrated in November 1865 and assigned a parochial district in February 1866. The church stood on a site flanked by Brasenose Road and St. John's Road. During the Second World War it  suffered from bomb damage to the extent that it had to be demolished. The rubble was dumped, as we have seen, on the coast. It was used in sea defences and so it is not only a living memorial to the blitz and the people who lost their homes and belongings but also a protection against the stormy seas. 

 

When I left the beach at Crosby that day, I turned around and took this photo. A perfect day!

 

 Such a perfect day!

After posting my research on a local Facbook page I was contacted by a descendant of Samuel who was thrilled to know where it was. Many people suggest that the stone should be moved, perhaps to another churchyard. However it is huge, heavy and in an inaccessble area. Besides, it is no longer in the place of Samuel's burial. Many people have told me they have visited the beach since reading my FB post. I think it is fitting that his memorial is left in a beautiful place and is surrounded by reminders of the lives of his family, friends and neighbours.

RIP with your memories Samuel