29/10/2009
A L Barker

Thanks to your wonderful website, and the fact that you have left
the old gravestones in place, I have just been able to find the grave
of my great great great grandfather William Hale, plus his second wife
Mary (who was the sister of his first wife, Sarah, my ggg grandmother)
 and Mary and Sarah's mother Mary Horobin - my gggg grandmother!

I was amazed to discover on my visit today that work has been going
on to renovate the grave, with new turf being laid and the brickwork
 being fixed, despite the fact that the last burial was that of Mary Hale
 in 1908. I would love to know why this is! Are there other descendents
of William around?

William was an interesting figure. He was born near Bristol into a family
of earthenware pot dealers. He took to the road as a pot hawker and
travelled around the country before marrying Sarah, who was from
Chesterfield, in Brierley Hill. He then settled down and became a
publican. Sarah died soon after the marriage so William married her
sister Mary instead! Eventually William and Mary moved to Kidderminster,
where they both died, but they were brought back to Amblecote for burial
with their young daughter Cecelia who had died aged 5.
There is more info about the pubs that William was the landlord of on the
midlandspubs website (I supplied them with this info).

Mary's mother Mary Horobin was married twice; her daughter Elizabeth
married into a gypsy family and lived in a travelling wooden caravan.
She was imprisoned in Shrewsbury jail for theft in the 1880s!

I have left some flowers on the grave, I don't get to the Black
Country very often as I live in London but I will make sure I pop by
whenever I am in the area.

Once again, thank you so much for keeping the old gravestones in
 the churchyard!

Antonia Barker

It would appear that the maintenance was part of 'Adopt a Grave'
an idea suggested and initiated by Martin Davis.
Webmaster.