Joanne, Louise and Tony “Up Camps’s: Tales from Beyond the Grave”
The monthly talk was a joint venture by Joanne Garner, Louise Mangles and Tony Pringle (assisted on the projector by Steve Garner). This was due to the project undertaken to transcribe all the writings on the headstones in Newmarket Cemetery. Still needing the completion of a searchable spreadsheet, this project has at least preserved some records, just as well as since the project actually at the cemetery was finished and COVID stopped some work, already some of the inscriptions have become unreadable. In addition, Tony had transcribed all 14,000 entries in the burial register (1853 to 2017).
Tony started by explaining why the term Up Camps’ was used…due to the Camps family being custodians and living at a cottage just inside the gates. Joanne then related the story of the 2 pairs of sisters who drowned, the Palethorpes and Flatmans, the two jockeys, Tom French, who basically taught Fred Archer and then the naughty vicar at the Workhouse who seemingly inappropriately acquired considerable funds. Louise then spoke of the various occupations carried on in the late 1800s which gave a better idea of life in those days. Tony then gave the background to some “residents” of the cemetery, Pte Arthur Norman, Steward Ponny Morris, Pte Tom Morris and Rachel Parsons.
He ended with imploring members to take steps to record today’s Newmarket lest there be no records for researchers to seek for after another 100 years.